Editorial Type: Audio

Starline’s Brian Porter Talks Tariffs’ Impact on 2019 Pricing, Streamlining the Ordering Process, PromoStandards

It’s clear the tariffs are going to impact the promo industry in the new year. We asked Brian Porter, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Starline Inc., about what we can expect for 2019, how promo suppliers are handling pricing and much more. Plus, Sean and Brendan discuss a totally crazy insane morning hack from Jeff Bezos, and Sean asks the tough questions everyone’s afraid to ask about Pantone’s Color of the Year…

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HUB 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…

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Spooktastic Special! Jay Busselle Talks Branding Nightmares, Halloween Promotions and #PromoChat

In the spirit of everyone’s favorite haunted holiday, Jay Busselle joined the show to discuss branding nightmares, his favorite Halloween promotions and scary marketing in general. Is your promo business making any of the branding mistakes Jay mentioned? Listen and find out! Plus, Sean and Brendan discuss Burger King’s gross new nightmare sandwich, terrifying VCRs and much more. Don’t listen alone!…

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Jeff Laniado, Promo Buyer for CBS, on His Distributor Past, Landing Large Accounts and the Dreaded Suitcase Full of Samples

Jeff Laniado, who worked for distributor Axis Promotions before moving to a promo buyer role at CBS, gave us the inside scoop on what it’s like making the switch, what he and other promo buyers are looking for, landing large accounts like CBS and some common mistakes distributors make when pitching prospects. Let’s just say Jeff isn’t a fan of the suitcase full of samples. Plus, Sean and Brendan get Gritty!…

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BrandVia’s Sam Brown and Eric Nelsen Talk Organic Growth, Company Culture and Getting Sh*t Done

BrandVia Alliance was a big riser on our 2018 Top 50 Distributors list, jumping eight spots from No. 31 in 2017 to No. 23 this year. Sam Brown and Eric Nelsen joined the podcast to talk about that growth, plus a look at company culture, customer experience and (a recurring theme) getting sh*t done. Plus, Brendan and Sean discuss the fake Warren Buffett Twitter account that captivated the internet…

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Goldstar Pens’ Parker Melvin on Switching From Distributor to Supplier, How Both Sides of Promo Work Together

Before joining Goldstar Pens, Parker Melvin spent his entire promo career on the distributor side of the industry. That makes him uniquely qualified to talk about the state of collaboration and communication between distributors and suppliers—what’s working and what needs work. Plus, Sean and Brendan discuss Disney’s move to eliminate plastic straws at its theme parks, and analyze the most important and exciting story of the summer: SHARK HEIST 2018!…

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PPAI’s Paul Bellantone on Mergers and Acquisitions, Embracing Competition and Facebook Whining (Positivity, People!)

On episode 4 of the Promo Marketing Podcast, PPAI’s Paul Bellantone joined Sean and Brendan for a wide-ranging discussion on mergers and acquisitions, outside competition, Promotional Products Work! Week, Legislative Education and Action Day, and why it’s time for the promo industry to grow up and start respecting itself, dangit! Plus, have you seen those apology commercials from Uber, Facebook and Wells Fargo? Man are they bad!…

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