Marketing and Sales

Australasian Promotional Products Association (APPA), Surrey Hills, Australia; and Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), Irving, Texas, have announced an agreement to effectively utilize core elements of PPAI's Promotional Products Work! and Get In Touch programs across Australia and New Zealand. The Get In Touch campaign, which the two organizations will launch in Australia and New…

After Delivery Agent Inc., a company that specialized in selling licensed merchandise for entertainment companies, filed for bankruptcy in September, some of those companies—like HBO, Discovery and CBS—have come out saying that Delivery Agent Inc. owes them money. Discovery's deal with Delivery Agent Inc. included a 14 percent royalty on all sales at the Discovery…

Raining Rose Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, announced that it has acquired Fort Collins, Colorado-based Solar Advertising Inc. Raining Rose will incorporate Solar Advertising Inc.'s promotional lip balm products, including Natural LipFusion and Natural SugarBalm, into its existing product line. All employees also will join Raining Rose as part of the transition. "Raining Rose and Solar…

For those who want to be really, really sure they're cold drinks stay cold and their hot drinks stay hot, Crio might have just invented the perfect water bottle. The Australian company just debuted a new water bottle design, which features a layer of cryogel, on Kickstarter. The Crio water bottle…

After the Chicago Cubs' come-from-behind victory over the Cleveland Indians in the World Series, we looked at the (unfortunate) fate of the merchandise that falsely crowned the Indians champions. Following this year's election (which…

Promo Marketing’s Video Battle pits two industry videos against each other for the chance at the ultimate bragging right: Being declared our readership’s absolute favorite. (Next up: I'm getting excited to watch the U.S. vs. Mexico soccer game tonight.) Last week, Maple Ridge Farms won, and now will face off against ITC.4. The winner will be decided by…

The Magnet Group, Washington, Mo., parent company of Camarillo, California-based Perfect Promotional Products and Sparks, Nevada-based Castelli North America, announced the hiring of 10-year industry veteran Carrie Laufenburg, as director of key accounts. "Carrie is a creative, smart, driven individual…

Hopefully, by now, you know that you cannot just be a product source and expect to command a premium price or a loyal customer base. Quite simply, if you don’t want to be commoditized, don’t be a commodity. Think about why your customers buy, and work to give them a reason to buy from you.…

After looking into the effects of promotional products on the election as a whole, and speaking to two members of the industry about how Donald Trump's victory could impact the promotional products…

Last night (well, this morning), Donald Trump shocked the world and won the 2016 presidential election over Democrat Hillary Clinton. The changing of the presidential guard means a potential shift in the country's economic landscape. So, to get a good look into what this election means for promotional products professionals, we spoke to Paul Bellantone,…