Elon Musk’s Boring Company flamethrowers, launched in 2018, were a masterwork of promotional marketing. And yet, to the surprise of absolutely no one, the flamethrowers have been a disaster for everyone but Musk. More than 1,000 people have had their flamethrowers confiscated, with many facing legal repercussions…
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S&S Activewear Acquired by Private Equity Firm Clayton Dubilier & Rice
S&S Activewear, Bolingbrook, Ill., announced today that it has been acquired by private investment firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice. Following the closure of the transaction, expected to take place during the first quarter of 2021, S&S president Jim Shannon will take on the role of CEO, with CD&R operating partner John Compton taking over as chairman of the board…
Read MoreCreativity, Collaboration and a Killer Swag Box: How a Distributor’s Virtual Client Event Became a Smash Hit
Looking to generate business in the absence of live events, Naomi Bodway and 10 other distributors put together a virtual event for customers. The group hoped to reach 150 attendees. Thanks to their creative approach and a killer swag box, they ended up with more than 200. The event directly resulted in multiple orders for each distributor…
Read MoreHow One Distributor Added $2,000 to a Work-From-Home Kit Order: a Back to Business Virtual Power Meeting Success Story
Youssef Fadel, business development for NEPM-New England Promotional Marketing, Wilbraham, Mass., attended Promo Marketing’s Back to Business Virtual Power Meeting – Fall Edition in November. He walked away with a $1,000 prize for being the most engaged at the event, but he also completed a few successful orders, adding an easy $2,000 to one…
Read MoreA Michigan Dispensary Is Giving Branded Joints to Anyone Who Gets COVID Vaccine
A Michigan dispensary is taking cannabis-related promos to new levels by giving free cannabis to anyone who gets their COVID-19 vaccine. Any Michigan resident who brings proof of vaccination to Greenhouse of Walled Lake in Walled Lake, Mich., will receive a pre-rolled joint in “Pots for Shots” packaging…
Read MoreOffice Depot Rejects Staples Acquisition Offer, Proposes Merger of Retail Operations Only
ODP, parent company of Office Depot, has rejected Staples’ most recent acquisition proposal, coming back with a counter-offer to merge the two companies’ direct-to-consumer retail operations without including Office Depot’s business-to-business operations…
Read MoreStaples Is Trying to Buy Office Depot Again (and Thanks to Amazon, It Might Work)
Five years after the Federal Trade Commission put a stop to it, Staples Inc. is once again trying to buy its old competitor, Office Depot. Staples has reportedly put up an offer of $2.1 billion for Office Depot’s parent company, ODB Corp. Part of the plan involves working directly with the ODP board to tailor a merger plan that fits within FTC confines…
Read MoreBiden-Harris Inauguration Merchandise: Streetwear Designs, ‘Party Boxes’ and Friendship Bracelets
With just under a week until President-Elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, the first batch of official inauguration merchandise is starting to trickle out. The Biden-Harris camp put fashion first with their products, consulting designers to make streetwear-inspired apparel items. The most interesting item, though, might be the friendship bracelet…
Read MoreNew Relationships, New Opportunities and an Upgraded Showroom: One Distributor’s Back to Business Virtual Power Meeting Experience
Olivia Scott, MAS, is owner and president of Promotional Partners Inc. She came away from a 2018 Power Meeting with notes and contacts she still uses today. She came away from a recent Virtual Power Meeting with all that and something extra: an upgraded showroom. Here’s how…
Read MoreTraditional Promotional Product Categories Bounce Back (and Other Product Demand Trends)
Our third look at the pandemic’s impact on the promotional products industry showed that sales are continuing to decline in the industry overall, but for the first time since the spring, the decline is starting to level out. More encouraging is that several product categories are now performing well compared to their pandemic lows—and some of them may be surprising…
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