More than a year into a contentious trade war with China, uncertainty remains the only sure thing. With significant tariff increases looming that include most promotional products imported from China, here’s where the promo industry stands while we wait for answers—and how some promo businesses are dealing with the situation…
Read MoreWhat do promo buyers want? Like really want? That’s the $64,000 question. Since there’s no magic potion to drink so we can hear what others are thinking (that’s only on the silver screen, thankfully), we not only have to listen to what customers are saying, but we also must interpret their often unvocalized expectations. Case…
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The promo industry has come a long way from the days of cheap giveaways, the proverbial “trinkets and trash.” The best companies have put the focus on value, quality and responsible sourcing, helping the industry to a record-breaking $23.3 billion in 2017 revenue. So why can’t it shake the nagging perception that it sells mostly cheap swag—and why does it matter?…
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This is the story of a company using marketing to push on Americans a product that could kill them. This is a story of greed, and loss, and delayed corporate responses, and regulatory failure. This is the story of a promotional campaign, and everything that came after. This is the story of how Purdue Pharma marketed America’s opioid crisis, the surprising role promotional products played, and where we go from here…
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If you had to increase your prices 20 percent tomorrow, how would your customers react? After you absorbed unflattering comments and disappointment, your customers would buy fewer products, if they bought any at all. Beyond our industry, consider what we buy every day: clothing, footwear, housewares, electronics and so on. How would you feel the…
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The U.S. House Republican tax reform proposal includes a recommendation to adopt a Border Adjustment Tax (BAT). If it passes in any form, it will increase the cost of promotional products significantly. The BAT will have a negative overall impact to the promotional products industry. You must start learning about BAT, and how it is…
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On November 23, 2015, the world’s largest food manufacturer, Nestle, disclosed publicly that slave labor was being used to produce its seafood sourced from its supply chain in Thailand. An investigation had shown that Thai fishing operators lured migrant with false promises. The migrants were sold systematically and then kept in bondage and degrading conditions…
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Trump! Clinton! Feel the Bern! Some can’t help but support their candidates both privately and publicly. Recently, Cheryl Rios, a marketing specialist, discovered the danger of talking politics online—she lost her largest clients. But, I’m not writing today to get you to stop talking politics. I want you to talk politics—even online—but directed toward your elected officials. Next…
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When the discussion turns to delivering safe and compliant promotional products, and specifically how difficult it is to do, I usually go with this response: “You can either run toward the problem, or you can run away from it.”
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I’ve covered many topics through the years and this one is perhaps the most frightening. It threatens our livelihoods and puts a bright spotlight on the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). Increasing awareness for product safety and CPSIA regulations is a good thing. Our industry needs to better understand what it takes to be in compliance with these regulations, but this story is outright scary.
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