Don't miss out on our #PromoGiftAward Gold Awardees!

Earlier this month, we at Promo Gift Blog introduced the #PromoGiftAwards to recognize bloggers in the promotional industry. It was established to:

• Identify and encourage companies who actively blog about promotional products.
• Encourage and promote active participation in the promotional products industry.

We will be sharing 4 of our Gold #promogift Awardess with you today! 

ePromos

ePromos offers a wide variety of health and safety products that can promote a safer return to school, including thermometers (including no touch thermometers), germ-free tools, health guides, PPE kits and protective equipment such as disposable gloves, masks and hand sanitizers.

We loved how the blog is filled with content relatable to our current situation right now, with students heading back onto campuses. It also has great quality images of the products being introduced. The blog also included hyperlinks to other relevant ePromos products. 

Blue Soda Promos

Flu season is upon us! Of course, this year, things are a lot different. With COVID-19 still being a major problem not just for the US but for the world, having sufficient stocks of PPE at all times is really important. The supply of many of these essential items isn’t as scarce as it was back at the start of the pandemic but there are many unreliable sources floating around.

With the pandemic happening, this blog is extremely informative and relevant to our current situation. It properly addresses the items needed together with adequate descriptions of each item and good quality images. It also includes direct links to the products available on the Blue Soda Promo websites. 

Sage World

Selling to customers face to face has been the norm forever. But we’ve all learned this year, that 2020 isn’t normal, and being forced to embrace change and quickly adapt is expected of all of us. And, even though our economy is struggling and many businesses have, unfortunately, had to shutter, people are still out there making virtual sales call! To help ease the pain, top sales executives at SAGE have offered words of wisdom to help you close the deal.

The blog includes 3 tips to help you sell with certainty during uncertain times such as the pandemic we have encountered this year. It is great to share industry knowlege with other businesses that may be struggling as a result of COVID-19.

CrowdSpring

Whether you’re a small startup or an established small business, knowing how to market your business is vital to its success.There are plenty of terrific opportunities to earn customers while staying within a small business marketing budget. Try these 6 inexpensive marketing tactics to get you started.

This blog is perfect for small businesses seeking advice on how to enhance their social media strategy. There are also great illustrations made throughout the blog to reinforce the 6 tips. 

Keep up to date in the Promotional Products Industry

4Imprint makes Encouraging Progress in Sales despite the COVID-19 Pandemic

In a trading update released on October 31, 4Imprint announced that encouraging progress has been made despite continous disruptive efforts as a result of the pandemic.

InnerWorkings Acquired by HH Global Group

HH Global Group announced the completion of the acqusition of InnerWorkings on October 1st 2020.

If you are interested in promotional products. Don't hesitate to contact us for a guest blog or interview publishing on our page. The sole purpose of publishing guest blogs is to spread inspiration on case studies from leaders in the industry. It is a completely free service, where the blog will be credited to your company.

Unethical PPE Players in the Promotional Industry

As a result of the pandemic, many in the promotional products industry have turned to selling PPE to stay in business and help meet society's demand for the protective equipment. However, many promotional players in the Promotional Industry have acted unethically.

Dennis W. Haggerty Jr., president of At Diagnostics Inc., has been charged with wire fraud in a criminal complaint made public in Chicago's federal court. According to authorities, Haggerty and two business partners formed a spinoff company, AT Diagnostics, in March 2020 to sell personal protective equipment (PPE).

He cheated 2 large university hospitals located in Chicago and Iowa City - Northwestern Memorial Hospital and University of Iowa Medical Center. Both hospitals ordered a combined 1 million 3M N95 face masks last spring, paying $3 million as a deposit. Furthermore, the complaint alleges that Haggerty spent part of the hospitals’ funds for his own personal benefit, including purchasing two Maserati automobiles and a Land Rover SUV.

Haggerty’s arrest again highlights the focus federal investigators are devoting to stopping PPE fraud amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Another promotional products distributor, the owner of Wasatch Promotional Products, John Anothony Taylor was also charged with wire fraud over allegedly claiming to have access to millions of N95 respirator masks from 3M when he did not have the masks or such access, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Not an authorized 3M dealer, Taylor made false representations, including fabricating a fake purchase order from 3M, and attempting to execute a bogus mask sale with an undercover agent, authorities say. He has sinced denied any wrongdoing and is scheduled to appear in federal court in May of 2021. 

Keep up to date in the Promotional Products Industry

4Imprint makes Encouraging Progress in Sales despite the COVID-19 Pandemic

In a trading update released on October 31, 4Imprint announced that encouraging progress has been made despite continous disruptive efforts as a result of the pandemic.

InnerWorkings Acquired by HH Global Group

HH Global Group announced the completion of the acqusition of InnerWorkings on October 1st 2020.

If you are interested in promotional products. Don't hesitate to contact us for a guest blog or interview publishing on our page. The sole purpose of publishing guest blogs is to spread inspiration on case studies from leaders in the industry. It is a completely free service, where the blog will be credited to your company.

Specialized Office Systems Acquires Logo Expressions

Here at Promo Gift Blog, we publish articles about the happenings in our industry, such as promotional products case studies, marketing campaigns and other industry news. Most recently we have been reviewing the mergers and aquistions happening in our industry, to keep ourselves and our readers updated.

Specialized Office Systems, which also sells office supplies and furniture, is a family-owned company in Phoenix with more than 2,000 active U.S. clients and almost 30 employees.
They have most recently acquired Logo Expressions in Carlsbad,CA. 

The details of the transaction is not yet available. However, the merger is said to help to improve and expand Specialized Office Systems' supply chain capacity along with its presence in the California Market.

According to Nathan Goldberg, president of SOS, he believes that "The acqusition brings some top talent, great supplier partnerships and great clients to their amazing team."

Logo Expressions will continue to operate under its name as a wholly owned subsidiary of Specialised Office Systems. CEO Sandra Monffitt Adams believes that the merger will bring a now array of products and services to their current clientele.

Keep up to date in the Promotional Products Industry

4Imprint makes Encouraging Progress in Sales despite the COVID-19 Pandemic

In a trading update released on October 31, 4Imprint announced that encouraging progress has been made despite continous disruptive efforts as a result of the pandemic.

InnerWorkings Acquired by HH Global Group

HH Global Group announced the completion of the acqusition of InnerWorkings on October 1st 2020.

If you are interested in promotional products. Don't hesitate to contact us for a guest blog or interview publishing on our page. The sole purpose of publishing guest blogs is to spread inspiration on case studies from leaders in the industry. It is a completely free service, where the blog will be credited to your company.

Traditional Promotional Products Bounces Back in October Searches

Over the last few months, the promotional product industries continues to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. From new exclusive data from ASI, we can see that traditional product categories such as pens, mugs etc. begin to bounce back in October 2020.

Since the outbreak, personal protective equipment (PPE) have been occupying the top 2 search terms in ESP, ASI's database of products in the promotional industry. Despite search terms for face masks remaining as the most searched item, searches for masks and hand sanitizer decreases. Meanwhile industry staples like mugs, pens and blankets are making a comeback! 

According to Nathaniel Kucsma, ASI's executive director of research and coporate marketing. He believes that the promo industry as a whole has settled down a bit and there is more consistency from month to month with what distributors and clients are looking for.

Ideally the industry is hoping for a normal Q4, historically the busiest time of the year for many promotional firms. According to the data shown in the image below, the end of 2020 remains promising. 

With winter and the holiday season approaching, searches for gloves, beanie and scarf were up 128%, 102% and 98%, respectively, from last month. Searches for holiday gifts rose 113% and searches for Christmas ornaments grew 88%.

Keep up to date in the Promotional Products Industry

Promotional Products Work! Week 2020

Promotional Products Work! Week is an international grassroots event led by the Promotional Products Association Internation (PPAI) and the promotional products industry. 

InnerWorkings Acquired by HH Global Group

HH Global Group announced the completion of the acqusition of InnerWorkings on October 1st 2020.

If you are interested in promotional products. Don't hesitate to contact us for a guest blog or interview publishing on our page. The sole purpose of publishing guest blogs is to spread inspiration on case studies from leaders in the industry. It is a completely free service, where the blog will be credited to your company.

4Imprint makes Encouraging Progress in Sales despite the COVID-19 Pandemic

In a trading update released on October 31, 4Imprint announced that encouraging progress has been made despite continous disruptive efforts as a result of the pandemic. They stated that its average weekly order intake ran at 60% of the prior year level's' over the last 4 weeks. Despite the order intake still being down 40% when compared to last year, 4Imprint views it as an improvement over August where the run rate was only 50% of that in 2019 and 20% in April. 

Also detailed in their trading update, "The apparel category has performed well compared to other categories during the pandemic". As a result their main operations at Oshkosh Distribution Centre is currently running at 100% permanent labour capacity utilisation.

The firm maintains that they will "continue to aquire new customers at a relatively promising rate, with new-to-existing customers running a stable band." Their customer activity has been driven by a careful re-allocation of marketing funds towards their brand marketing programme.

Additionally, the company is taking every step to manage the effects of the pandemic on their operations with the appropriate social distancing protocols being observed in all their facilities. They also still have team members working from home.

Ultimately, there is still inherent uncertainty as a result of Covid-19. However, 4Imprint remains in a strong financial position with a cash balance of $40.1million at the end of the October accounting month with no debt. They are also confident in their ability to deliver sustainable value for all stakeholders.

Keep up to date in the Promotional Products Industry

Promotional Products Work! Week 2020

Promotional Products Work! Week is an international grassroots event led by the Promotional Products Association Internation (PPAI) and the promotional products industry. 

InnerWorkings Acquired by HH Global Group

HH Global Group announced the completion of the acqusition of InnerWorkings on October 1st 2020.

If you are interested in promotional products. Don't hesitate to contact us for a guest blog or interview publishing on our page. The sole purpose of publishing guest blogs is to spread inspiration on case studies from leaders in the industry. It is a completely free service, where the blog will be credited to your company.

Promotional Gifts Blog Award 2020

The Promo Gift Blog recognizes bloggers in the promotional products industry through its new awards program. The Promotional Gifts Blog Award was established to:

• Identify and encourage companies who actively blog about promotional products.
• Encourage and promote active participation in the promotional products industry.

Is there a nomination or voting process?

There is no exact nominating or voting process. Blogs will be awarded based on the framework below. The editorial team will take into account the overall content/images/industry relevancy as well as other factors before awarding. We will also be looking at how frequent your company introduces new blogs.

If your business is keen to submit your blog for consideration, feel free to get in touch with us (alice@promogiftblog.com).

How do I know if I've received an award?

Awards are announced via our twitter (@promogiftblog) where all the blogs submitted along with the awards and a short description about what's great about them.

What are the benefits for attaining an award?

The award can help introduce your blog to new readers since the Promogift Blog is recommending your blog, our readers will most likely to check you out. It also creates incoming links to your site, which Google looks at when calculating your search engine ranking.

If you are interested in promotional products. Don't hesitate to contact us for a guest blog or interview publishing on our page. The sole purpose of publishing guest blogs is to spread inspiration on case studies from leaders in the industry. It is a completely free service, where the blog will be credited to your company.