In this episode of Promo Insiders, Advantages executive editor Sara Lavenduski welcomes Elaine Sanders, a certified life coach, stress consultant and co-founder of The Stress Experts in Manitoba, Canada, and Paul Krismer, the Chief Happiness Officer at The Happiness Experts Company, a positive psychology and happiness consultancy in British Columbia. They share their professional insights about addressing mental health in a sustainable way for the long term during this challenging time.
Nov 10, 2020•28 min
Online shopping has been on the rise for years, but the coronavirus pandemic kicked the trend into overdrive. Amazon recently reported that its Q3 revenue in North America was up 39.3% year over year. And brick and mortar chains have been seeing dramatic gains in online sales this year: Best Buy, for example, reported that its Q2 online sales were up 242% year over year, and Target saw a 195% jump in e-commerce. Even as societal lockdowns are loosening, many consumers are not giving up the conve...
Nov 05, 2020•41 min
ASI's Vinnie Driscoll chats with social media expert Taylor Gaines about the importance of a social media manager to a business.
Oct 30, 2020•50 min
Lee Fine of Juice Marketing details how he pulled off a global campaign for the first-ever virtual Boston Marathon.
Oct 29, 2020•24 min
Next Level Apparel’s 1800 – Unisex Ideal Heavyweight Crew is the first of its kind for our industry. Finally, there’s a premium entry-point T-shirt distributors can present to their clients, regardless of their budget. But this game-changing garment didn’t come out of nowhere – it was actually four years in the making and went through 22 different iterations before the final version was brought to market. To learn more about what goes into creating innovative and imaginative apparel, we’re inter...
Oct 28, 2020•22 min
Meg Erber, of S&S Activewear, joins ASI's Vinnie Driscoll for a lively discussion about fashion apparel and social media.
Oct 26, 2020•40 min
This year is sure to go down in history as one that everyone couldn’t wait to forget. But that shouldn’t include Q4 promotional gifts. In fact, it’s more important than ever to recognize and show appreciation to employees and clients as we look ahead to 2021. In this episode of Promo Insiders, Sara Lavenduski, Theresa Hegel and John Corrigan of ASI’s editorial team discuss ways to sell useful and fun items in the fourth quarter, from kitchen tools to accessories for Fido and Fluffy and more.
Oct 23, 2020•34 min
ASI's Vin Driscoll and Melissa Newman chat with Johanna Gottlieb, the VP of sales at Axis Promotion, powered by Halo, on how to use social media effectively for sales.
Oct 21, 2020•22 min
The ninth annual State of Women-Owned Businesses Report found that 42% of all businesses – almost 13 million – are run by women. In total, women-owned businesses employ 9.4 million workers and generate revenue of $1.9 trillion. However, those numbers haven’t come without challenges, even in the promotional products space. To understand this more, today we’re speaking with Nikki Stella, CEO of AIM Smarter. Now managing one of the largest distributor membership organizations in our industry, Nikki...
Oct 20, 2020•23 min
With staffers at many businesses working at home this year – and beyond – it’s important to find fun and creative ways to keep them motivated.
Oct 16, 2020•37 min
Margie Floris, founder of Aqueous Wellness, discusses how to enter and capitalize on the seemingly recession-proof industry.
Oct 14, 2020•21 min
ASI's Melissa Newman chats with Sara Webb, CEO of InTandem Promotions, about the importance of integrating company culture into your social media strategy plan.
Oct 12, 2020•13 min
Barry Myers, event expert and founder of getgeeked Media, shares strategies for creating successful events during COVID and speculates on what the future of experiential marketing will look like.
Oct 08, 2020•52 min
In this Social Angle podcast, ASI's Melissa Newman and Vinnie Driscoll chat with Quianne Savoy, of Moore & Moore Merch, about how she uses Instagram for business. In this insightful conversation, Savoy discusses everything from inspiration and strategy to tools she uses and if the network has helped her with sales. Don't miss it!
Oct 05, 2020•39 min
In this Social Angle podcast, ASI's Vinnie Driscoll chats with Glenn Closson, a small-business brewery owner in Orlando, Fl., to discuss the effect COVID’s had on his business in 2020, his use of promo products and whether they’ve helped his bottom line during the pandemic, and how he uses social media to promote his brand. And yes, they even talk about beer!
Sep 28, 2020•41 min
The name change takes hold in January. It heralds new initiatives on service, products and sustainability from the Top 40 supplier.
Sep 28, 2020•20 min
A look at the surprising stats for logoed masks, eco-friendly products and more.
Sep 23, 2020•46 min
When it comes to promo apparel, there’s no shortage of decoration options available. However, sometimes the sheer amount of methods can feel overwhelming. How do you know which method to use, and for which customers? Do all methods work on all fabrics? And most importantly of all – what do they all cost? In today’s podcast, we’re taking the mystery out of apparel decoration once and for all with help from Alison Zuccaro, Strategic Product Manager of STAHLS’, a leading decoration materials manufa...
Sep 21, 2020•33 min
In this episode of Promo Insiders, Sara Lavenduski of Advantages magazine discusses supplier diversity with Jamie Crump and Kiruba Sankar, and what promo companies need to do to be able to serve those end-buyers with diversity programs.
Sep 18, 2020•33 min
In this short snippet from The Social Angle Podcast, Jeremy Picker, CEO and creative director of AMB3R Creative, discusses why he likes Pinterest and how he uses it for business.
Sep 16, 2020•3 min
In this Social Angle podcast, ASI's Vinnie Driscoll and Melissa Newman chat with Maria Kleger, a faithful and rabid user of Pinterest. Kleger, who is also a customer support team lead at ASI, understands the ins and outs of the platform and shares insights on how to use it effectively for business.
Sep 15, 2020•23 min
Ryan Sauers of Sauers Consulting Strategies shares some tips for how to stay top of mind with your audience during tough times.
Sep 11, 2020•44 min
In this episode of The Social Angle Podcast, Melissa Newman speaks with ASI’s Executive Creative Director of Marketing, Jake Krolick, on best practices for using video on social media. This episode breaks down video into four easy categories that’ll have you creating content easily and effortlessly. Jake shares some of his favorite editing software for beginners and the key element to crafting the perfect video.
Sep 09, 2020•36 min
The COVID-19 pandemic has flipped traditional marketing and communications strategies on their heads, leaving promo professionals to navigate uncharted waters. If you’re struggling to find the right words or are fearful of coming off tone-deaf in 2020, this episode is for you. ASI's Melissa Newman chats with ASI’s Public Relations & Corporate Communications Director Dawn Marie about best practices for communication strategies in 2020.
Sep 03, 2020•16 min
If social media in 2020 has got you down, take heart: You’re not alone. Social media-induced stress is real. And this year, it’s only gotten worse. COVID-19, combative politics, economic doldrums, widespread societal unrest – all have become flashpoints that ignite vitriol on social forums. It may be tempting to terminate your accounts and tune out social altogether. But what if you need to be active on social media as part of your job? Also, if you did nix social, you’d miss out on all the good...
Sep 02, 2020•29 min
Parenting during the pandemic ain’t easy. Theresa Hegel and Christopher Ruvo know that firsthand. The ASI editorial staffers are working parents who, like thousands of other professionals in the promo products industry, now daily perform the juggling act of meeting job responsibilities and caring for/educating their children during COVID-19. As school resumes around the United States, the challenges for working parents are intensifying. In this Promo Insiders podcast (recorded during a Facebook ...
Aug 26, 2020•44 min
In his freshman year of college, Isaac Hetzroni founded Imprint Genius (asi/230604), a distributorship based in Gainesville, FL, by selling cell phone fans at parties. Today, he is a CEO and recent college graduate from the University of Florida. In this episode of Promo Insiders, Eloisa Gutierrez of ASI, talks with Hetzroni about how he got Imprint Genius on its feet and, more recently, through a global pandemic.
Aug 24, 2020•16 min
In this Social Angle podcast, Ryan Moor, of Ryonet and Allmade Apparel, discusses what goes into being the spokesperson for his brands on social media, the pros and cons, advice for promo professionals who are reluctant and camera-shy, and much more.
Aug 21, 2020•29 min
Chris Bernat of Vapor Apparel takes issue with a recent study that depicted gaiters negatively, discusses the characteristics of high-quality gaiters and more.
Aug 20, 2020•28 min
In the last few years, millennials and Gen Z-ers have changed the fashion industry by investing in used clothing. “Thrift-flopping” has even become a trend on social media platform TikTok, as people buy used clothes and give them new life with some simple handiwork. The billion-dollar thrifting industry is growing as young people intentionally make purchases to reduce waste, save money and keep up with trends. In this episode of Promo Insiders, ASI’s Eloisa Gutierrez speaks with Patricia Garcia,...
Aug 19, 2020•17 min
