Promotional products alone can go a long way with lasting brand awareness, but Paul Keely, owner of King Print & Promo, remembers two instances where adding print to a promotional campaign helped his clients deliver a deeper, more thoughtful message and tell a complete story…
Read MoreLe Tour de Spice Adds Adrienne Barker to Sales Team
Supplier Le Tour de Spice has added Adrienne Barker, MAS, to its sales team. Barker will service promotional products distributors in the Southeast Market region. She has over 35 years in the industry as a distributor, earning her MAS in 2010, and received her lifetime certification in 2020…
Read MoreOlivia Rodrigo Merchandise Is Arriving Damaged, Misspelled or Incorrect (and It’s Blowing Up on TikTok)
Olivia Rodrigo fans have been flooding social media with reports that they’ve received merchandise that is misspelled, damaged, low quality or incorrect items. Those merchandise horror stories are being shared en masse, with the hashtag being viewed more than 15 million times on TikTok…
Read MoreNext Level Founder and CEO Joe Simsoly to Retire, Randy Hales Named as Successor
Next Level Apparel announced today that founder and CEO Joe Simsoly will retire, effective Aug. 8, 2021. Simsoly will continue to serve on Next Level’s board of managers and will remain a significant shareholder in the business. In November 2020, the board of managers recruited and appointed Randy Hales as Next Level’s co-CEO as part…
Read MorePromoCares Introduces ‘Sleep In 4 Good’ Event
PromoCares is introducing its Sleep In 4 Good event on Nov. 8, 2021, the day after Daylight Savings Time (DST) ends. The Sleep In 4 Good event will raise awareness around the stigma of mental health and its connection to sleep deprivation while raising funds for the National Alliance on Mental Illness…
Read MoreForbes Launches Online Merch Store With Rotating Capsule Collections From Fashion Designers, Brands
Forbes is giving readers a new way to connect with content through the launch of its Forbes Store e-commerce platform. In addition to a standard assortment of Forbes-branded merchandise, the publication will partner with a rotating cast of designers and artists for brand-specific capsules…
Read MoreA Pandemic-Altered Labor Market Is Making Hiring Difficult—and Causing Unexpected Problems for Promo Companies
Industry companies are reporting difficulties hiring, both for positions vacated due to layoffs at the start of the pandemic and for new positions necessary to meet surging demand. These issues are contributing to slower production times for suppliers already navigating supply chain challenges and causing problems for distributors as the economy rebounds…
Read MoreApparel Contract Decorator Partnerships Series, Part 3: Contract Pricing Refresher (and How to Not Annoy Your Decorator)
A distributor works directly with a client to determine every detail of the order and relays that to a decorator, who completes the technical aspect of the project. Decorators acknowledge the distributor’s role when creating their contract pricing. But what should distributors expect out of that relationship?…
Read MoreApparel Contract Decorator Partnerships Series, Part 2: Building Relationships (and How Many Decorators Do You Need?)
Just like you have different promotional suppliers for different products, you’ll need the same for different decoration methods or geographic locations to reduce transit from your preferred supplier warehouse or to the order’s final destination. So you’ll want to have solid relationships with more than one contract decorator…
Read MoreApparel Contract Decorator Partnerships Series, Part 1: Boost Business With a Sales-Focused Mindset
Distributors sometimes opt to bring decoration in-house, and there are some good reasons to go this route. However, leaning on a contract decorator has one major perk: The distributor can focus on selling while relying on contract decorators who know a thing or two about decorating apparel already…
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