When we say that this bag from Lululemon makes a statement, we don’t mean something like “This bag shows that I enjoy athletic activity and stylish apparel.” No. This bag says “That sunblock that you’re putting on your body is seeping in and quietly destroying you, and you should plan for your own eventual downfall…
Read MoreAuthor: Brendan Menapace
Three Hub Pen Company Employees’ Children Receive PPEF Scholarships
Hub Pen Company, Braintree, Mass., announced that three employees’ children have been awarded Promotional Products Education Foundation (PPEF) scholarships. PPEF is the industry nonprofit founded to recognize and encourage scholastic excellence and academic performance among promotional products industry employees and their college-aged children. Funded by Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) and generous donations from companies…
Read MoreSupplier Launches New E-Commerce Site for Easier Ordering
The Lipco Group, Branson, Mo., a supplier of promotional products, launched a new e-commerce site that circumvents the traditional supplier-distributor method. The new site features a stock of more than 11,000 products, and allows customers, like gift shops, to purchase directly from online. The company said in a press release that its new website, www.lipco.biz,…
Read MorePromotional Products Company Pleads Guilty to Price Fixing
Last month, we reported that Totally Promotional, Coldwater, Ohio, was being investigated by the FBI for possible price fixing in the promotional products space. Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that Azim Makanojiya, president of an unrelated promo company, Zaapaaz Inc. (WB Promotions Inc., Wrist-Band.com and Customlanyard.net), pleaded guilty to conspiring to fix prices…
Read MoreSyracuse Minor League Baseball Team (Temporarily) Rebrands as Salt Potatoes
Look, can we just all agree that Minor League Baseball teams are the best at promotions? Not only do most of them have creative names already (looking at you, Mud Hens), but a lot of them do…
Read MoreNew York’s Iconic ‘I Love NY’ Logo Almost Didn’t Exist
Everyone who’s been to New York City (and, honestly, probably a lot of people who haven’t) are familiar with the iconic “I Love New York” logo. It’s pretty much the most omnipresent tourist souvenir from the Big Apple, adorning T-shirts, mugs, sweatshirts, keychains, you name it. And it almost didn’t exist. To celebrate the logo’s…
Read MoreWill Stamp Books Bring Kids to the Ballpark?
When you, as promotional products professionals, are thinking about a way to appeal to the younger generation, what do you think of? Fidget spinners? Bluetooth speakers? Smartphone accessories? Stamp books? Wait, what was…
Read MoreFerrari Loses Testarossa Trademark to Toy Company
When we hear “Testarossa” we immediately think of Ferrari. And we’re not exactly car buffs, so we would imagine that others do the same. Well, regardless of how common that word association is, a German court ruled that Ferrari has to relinquish its right to the name due to a lack of ongoing use. Remember…
Read MorePM Video Battle Programming Note
Hello Video Battle Fans, Brendan from Promo Marketing here with a quick programming note. After two years of bringing you the best videos from around the promotional products industry, we’ll be taking a temporary break from the Video Battle This doesn’t mean Video Battle is done forever. Our primary focus at Promo Marketing is to…
Read MoreTwo Entrepreneurs Try to Trademark N-Word, Swastika to Limit Usage
In June, when the Supreme Court upheld the ruling that an Asian-American band called The Slants had the right to trademark their name, regardless of if it potentially offended others, it opened the possibility for others to trademark offensive terms. At the time, we focused primarily on how it paved the way for the Washington…
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