A lot of people like to debate the merits of film. Everyone has a favorite. Some people like “Gone With the Wind.” Others like “The Godfather.” Me? My favorite movie of all time is the promo ad for the Montegrappa Chaos Watch and Pens, which were designed by Sylvester Stallone. Before I go any further…
Read MoreAuthor: Brendan Menapace
Wilco’s $448 Axe, Korn Coffee, and the Changing Landscape of Band Merch
Axes are having a weird moment right now. Yes, of course it’s Halloween time, but I’m not talking about spooky axes. I’m talking about your run-of-the-mill, lumberjacky axes. They’re design elements in boutique stores selling things I can’t afford, gentrifying neighborhoods are suddenly full of axe-throwing venues, and it seems like every groomsman is getting…
Read MoreWhat’s Trending in the Bars and Restaurants Promotional Market
Think about the last restaurant you went to. Picture the room, if you can. You likely saw plenty of advertisements for brands other than the restaurant you were in. If it’s a popular chain or hometown favorite, you might have spotted some branded merchandise for that particular establishment, but chances are you saw plenty of…
Read MoreScammers Created Thousands of Fake Women’s March Facebook Pages to Sell T-shirts
The internet gives anybody, anywhere in the world, the ability to create something without having to deal with traditional gatekeepers. That can be good or bad, depending on the situation. In the case of the nearly 2,000 fake Women’s March event pages set up to scam Facebook users into buying T-shirts, it was definitely bad…
Read MoreShowdown Displays Formally Integrates Creative Banner Displays
Showdown Displays, Brooklyn Center, Minn., announced the formal integration of its sister company, Creative Banner Displays, which will become Showdown Displays effective Jan. 1, 2019. The two companies had been run by the same management company for the last six years, and have been offering the same product lines at the same prices, but directed…
Read MoreCaps Fans Really Want Those Bud Light Shirts (And Other Promo Items)
Remember those creative Bud Light shirts that played off of Washington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie chugging a beer through his jersey? Well, it turns out a lot of Caps fans want to emulate Oshie’s off-ice antics, because the shirt is selling for big bucks online. Many of the shirts are listed on eBay at the…
Read MoreFlywheel Brands Breaks Ground on New Office Building
Flywheel Brands Inc., Chattanooga, Tenn., broke ground recently on a new 6,000 sq. ft. office building to accommodate its growing team. The new headquarters will be located in Hixson, Tenn., just outside of Chattanooga, where Flywheel vice president of client development Bart Simpson said his brand marketing agency will develop a modern structure that satisfies…
Read MoreFlorida Passes Law Allowing Bars to Accept Free Branded Drinkware
Remember the legal battle over whether beverage companies would be allowed to supply branded drinkware to bars and restaurants for free? It was something big-name companies were in…
Read MoreWhy This ‘Give a Damn’ Tote Bag Had a Waiting List in the Hundreds
Fashion labels MZ Wallace and Lingua Franca have teamed up to create a tote bag imploring folks to “give a damn”—a sentiment shared by many women in America right now. The bag, which is in such high demand that the wait list reached the hundreds before it was even released, according to Fast Company, was…
Read MoreTravel Writer Notices Everyone in Cleveland Wears ‘Cleveland’ T-shirts
There’s an old adage that you’d probably hear on college campuses: Only freshman wear apparel with the school’s name on it. We know that’s patently false because, well, we went to college, too. That same idea might apply to popular tourist destinations. The locals surely wouldn’t wear shirts…
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