Guest Interview: George Kepnick of Custom Comet

We recently had the pleasure of interviewing George Kepnick of Custom Comet and finding out his extensive experiences in the promotional products sector.

What were your 3-5 best selling products last year? (Bags, shirts, pens, drinkware etc.)

Custom air fresheners, coffee sleeves, and drink coasters.

What are faster-growing market segments in your region? (banks, automotive, Pharma, Food etc...)

We have seen a pickup in political candidate air fresheners the last few months. They seem to be a nice alternative to the traditional bumper sticker. We've also seen an uptick over the last year with car washes and detailing shops.

Do you visit trade shows? If so, which ones are your favourite and why?

I have been to a variety of ASI shows as well as to the recent NWPMA show. You cannot beat the variety of products at one of the large ASI shows though. Fortunately when I lived in Chicago I was able to attend it a few times. Those were typically some of the larger ones. My first ASI show was in Florida and I was awestruck with all of the products. I had no idea there were so many options. It was great for finding new products ideas.

What are the biggest opportunities you see in your industry?

Short run with the new digital printing technology seems like it will continue improving quality wise over time. The other place I think there will always be opportunity is in customer service. People like to find the best price, but return customers need quality customer service. For us, our biggest opportunity likely lies within growing our product offerings and increasing the amount that customers spend with us over their lifetime vs just our initial sale.

Any examples of a good marketing campaign you like? Links or pictures appreciated.

KFC has insane campaigns. They put together this extremely creepy bear skin rug for Valentines Day:

https://www.reddit.com/user/ColSandersThrowaway/comments/amu3td/happy_valentines_day_reddit_we_made_you_colonel/ 

Nissin / Cup of Noodles put these fake headphones out on April fools day which people actually wanted to buy. They were pretty neat, and an elaborate prank.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BvtG1GbFZn0/ 

https://hypebeast.com/2019/4/nissin-x-hyperx-cup-noodle-headphhones 

https://nissinfanstore.com/products/hyperx-cup-mix-in 

Please tell us your full contact details for publishing. A Bio is most welcome.

Name: George Kepnick
Title: Owner
Location: Portland, OR (USA)
Company Website: https://customcomet.com
E-mail: hello@customcomet.com
Phone: 1(888)684-2933

George Kepnick is the owner of Custom Comet (https://customcomet.com). He has been in the promotional product industry for nearly a decade. Before this, he spent over a decade in digital marketing.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/customcomet
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/customcomet/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/customcometcom/