Each year, Promo Marketing compiles the Top 50 promotional products distributors into one comprehensive list. For a peek behind the curtain at how some of those tremendously successful companies work, we asked a few of them to share their thoughts on the promo industry, their plans for the future, what it takes to make the become (and stay) a top distributor, and more. Here, we profiled Taylor Corporation, No. 5 on the 2018 Top 50 Distributors list.
Taylor Corporation earned the No. 5 spot on our list this year with $238 million in promotional products sales. We interviewed Mike Giachetti, vice president of promotional marketing for Taylor Corporation, about the role of millennials in promo, the impact of tech and what makes Taylor Corporation a top distributor.
Millennials
In the promo industry, there’s a lot of discussion around millennials in the workforce. Giachetti provided some insight into the millennial buyer and what they’re looking for.
“An increasing amount of client decision-makers and user-buyers are millennials,” he said. “They bring (and require from us) a great energy level and focus to support their business. They seek responsiveness, ease of doing business, ongoing fresh ideas (a well-curated amount) and collaboration. They are tech- and digital-savvy [customers] who want complementary solutions and support,” he continued. “A big positive is that they appreciate the way promo can help cut through the clutter, as it appeals to their strong sense of reciprocity.”
Tech Transition
As a result of customer demands for online solutions, Taylor Corporation has embraced the role of tech in its business operations.
“We are seeing the growth of the ‘phygital’ experience—integrating physical products with a digital solution,” he said. “With the increasing use of augmented reality, virtual reality and haptic technology, we have begun integrating promotional products into these experiences. Clients are seeking partners who can provide tech-driven solutions in addition to just products. This requires that our technology teams are constantly working a roadmap to ensure our solutions and user experience remain a point of differentiation.”
2017 Success
When asked what was the main contributor to the company’s success last year, Giachetti pointed to the company’s continued investment in the business.
“Promo remains a highly personalized business—driven at the account level by deep partnerships with our clients,” he said. “Our focus continues to be on adding the necessary resources and value-added services to our program accounts to ensure that we tailor a solution that fits our clients’ specific objectives. With dedicated merchandising resources, tailored online company stores and more, our focus is on delivering promotionally impactful and cost-effective solutions that meet our clients’ goals.”
View the full 2018 Top 50 Distributors list here, or click here for stats, trends and analysis from the list. For more in this top distributors profiles series, click here to download a free PDF resource containing all six interviews.
