The Biden administration announced temporary changes to the Paycheck Protection Program to make it easier for small businesses to access loans. For two weeks beginning Feb. 24, the Small Business Administration will only accept PPP applications from businesses with fewer than 20 employees…
Read MoreIn January, Amazon quietly purchased Selz, a small Australian startup that, like Shopify, allows businesses to easily set up online stores. What exactly the company plans to do with Selz is still unclear, but we have some guesses—an obvious one, and a speculative one with branded merchandise implications…
Read MoreLast year, a staffer at the Canadian embassy in Beijing reportedly designed shirts parodying the Wu-Tang Clan “W” logo, with “Wuhan” written in the middle of the logo. Months later, the shirts caught the attention of Chinese government officials, forcing Canada to apologize and explain…
Read MoreElon 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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The Vernon Company, Newton, Iowa, shared that its former chairman and CEO William F. “Bill” Vernon passed away peacefully on Dec. 3 at the age of 89. After serving in the U.S. Army, Vernon began his career at The Vernon Company in 1956. For the next 64 years, Vernon was highly engaged in building the multi-generation family promotions and graphics business across North America…
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Rodrigo Blankenship has recognized the incredible branding potential of his signature look, leaning fully into his status as the NFL’s No. 1 Top Bespectacled Kicker. Just a few months into his rookie season, “Hot Rod” already has his own branded merchandise store (tagline: “Respect the Specs”) filled with a whole bunch of clever designs…
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McDonald’s has temporarily stopped issuing Happy Meals containing promotional toys for Disney’s Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway ride after discovering an error in the QR codes printed on cards that come with the toys. The codes are designed to take users to a contest page, but in some cases did not work properly…
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Brooklyn Products International Inc., Brooklyn, Mich., announced that its AmeriFoam division has purchased Quality Foam Designs, a manufacturer of polyurethane promotional products in Elkhart, Ind. The acquisition supports AmeriFoam’s commitment to bring more value to its customers through an expansion of product offerings and…
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The whole “not doing Thanksgiving” thing is a bummer, sure. But Jose Cuervo has a solution: If you can’t physically go to Thanksgiving dinner at Meemaw’s house this year, why not do the next best thing and send a life-size printed cardboard cutout of yourself instead?…
Read MoreHonduras is home to manufacturing facilities for several large apparel companies operating in the promo industry, including Delta Apparel, Hanesbrands, Gildan and American Apparel (now owned by Gildan). As such, tropical storm Eta, despite its downgraded status, has the potential to disrupt the promo supply chain…
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