Sweda Company LLC, City of Industry, Calif., welcomed Bob Engh as a new regional sales executive for the Midwest, covering Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. Engh, a native of Minneapolis, joins Sweda from J. Charles Awards & Recognition Company, with prior experience at Crystal Awards & Recognition. “Bob…
Read More3-D Printing Is About to Get a Lot Less Expensive
The concept of 3-D printing isn’t new, but for a lot of companies, it’s not economically viable. The benefits don’t outweigh the cost, yet. But, 3-D printing company Carbon is looking to make 3-D printing more accessible for everyone by slashing the price of three commonly used resin materials. Carbon CEO Joe DeSimone told Forbes…
Read MoreWhy This Canadian Tried to Get Himself Arrested Selling Cannabis Branded Merchandise
The Prince of Pot, otherwise known as Marc Emery, has proven to be a royal pain for upholders of the Quebec Cannabis Regulation Act, taking to downtown Montreal on Sunday to hawk branded merchandise affiliated with the province’s marijuana culture. The problem—or, rather, the point—is that it’s now illegal to sell such goods in Canada…
Read MoreHUB Promotional Group Team (Plus Debco’s Alex Morin) Talk Acquisitions, Future, What Moves Mean for Distributors
Joe Fleming, Trina Bicknell, Mike Fleming and special guest Alex Morin joined the show to talk about HUB Promotional Group’s recent acquisitions, how HUB selects suppliers to buy, what distributors can expect from HUB Promotional Group moving forward, and more. Plus, Sean and Brendan dig into that Fast Company article that called for the entire promo industry to shut down…
Read MorePromo History Lesson: How Elvis’ Manager Got His Haters to Buy Merch
Gather round, dear readers. It’s time for another edition of Promo Marketing’s “Great Moments in Promo History,” which is totally going to be a thing now. The topic of this second edition of our historical exploration is buttons. Not just any buttons, mind you. It’s the story of how Elvis’ manager and incredible-name-haver Colonel Tom…
Read MoreThe Story Behind Pantone 448 C, ‘the World’s Ugliest Color’
Back in 2012, the Australian federal government lobbied hard to change the description of Pantone 448 C from “olive green” to “drab dark brown” after the country’s olive association expressed concern that being tied to the color would damage olives’ reputation. That’s when it became obvious we had a forerunner for the title of “the…
Read MoreThe Common Denominator of Success
At some point throughout our sales careers, we all ask ourselves the same existential questions … What should I do differently to accelerate my sales? Am I spending my time, attention and focus on the right clients or aspects of my business? What will it take for me to reach the top? The answers to these…
Read MoreGeiger Acquires Bank Express and Promo Warehouse
Jo-an Lantz, MAS, chief operating officer of Geiger; along with Charlie Billard, president of Bank Express and Promo Warehouse, jointly announced Geiger’s acquisition of web-based distributor Bank Express and Promo Warehouse, effective immediately. The Sandwich, Massachusetts-based distributor will operate as a division of Geiger, and Charlie…
Read MoreNathan Peterman, Arguably the NFL’s Worst Quarterback, Is Selling Branded Merch
Since throwing five interceptions in his Week 11 starting debut last year, Buffalo Bills quarterback Nathan Peterman has earned pariah status among the team’s fanbase and become the butt of many NFL jokes nationally. But that has not stopped him from realizing there is much more to life than hurling the pigskin (preferably to his…
Read MorePuma Is Making Pepsi Cool Through Limited Branded Footwear, Apparel
The apparel game is all about hype these days. Hype comes from one major source: exclusivity. It’s the reason brands like Supreme and Palace can charge big bucks for items that, on the surface, don’t look like anything special. That’s not even taking into account the resale economy, which is its own little cottage industry.…
Read More