by Kirby Hasseman
Welcome to our awesome blog post series for Hasseman Marketing called:
“Brand-ecdotes!”
Each time, we talk to a branding all star about what makes the Promotional Product advertising media so special! This time we talk with the Grand Poubah of PPAI, Paul Bellantone! Paul is not only an industry rock star, but he is tasked with keeping the industry moving in the right direction. We sincerely appreciate him taking the time!
1. What is your all-time favorite Promotional Product and why?
A rubber jar opener. See below.
2. Can you name a Promo Product that you have that STILL reminds you fondly of an event, person, organization? If so, can you tell us that story?
While I no longer have the original rubber jar opener whenever I see or use one I think of H. Ted Olson, former President & CEO of PPAI. He was my predecessor’s predecessor. I was running a tradeshow in Guadalajara, Mexico in the mid 1990s and Ted introduced himself to me with a firm handshake, a smile and then pulled a rubber jar opener with a PPAI logo out of his jacket pocket. I originally thought to myself, “What an odd thing to give someone in the middle of a tradeshow in Guadalajara.” What I didn’t know then was that one day I would be running the organization he was promoting on the jar opener. And the act of giving a simple promotional product made such impact that I would be writing about it 30 years later!
3. What is the current product you use all the time?
I have a very classy, simple, brown leather Andrew Philips backpack I received as a gift for speaking at the Imagen Brands National Sales Meeting. It has PPAI embossed on it and it has become my constant travel companion.
4. What is an idea/product that you think organizations UNDER use?
Research. There is such powerful and useful research supporting the power of promotional products. It is important that we share this clear, measurable and meaningful data as a differentiator between promotional products and other advertising media with our customers and buyers.
5. What do you think is the best thing about Promotional Products as an advertising media?
It is the only advertising media people say “thank you” to the advertiser and want more of.
Amazing! That’s another awesome edition of Brand-ecdotes! Thanks to President of PPAI, Paul Bellantone, for taking the time to jump in!
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by Kirby Hasseman
When I decided that I was going to write a blog post for this website every day, most people thought it was dippy. Truth be told, many still do. But I decided to do it for a few reasons… 1. I wanted to be unreasonable. I felt like the most successful people I followed did things that most other people feel is unreasonable. I actually talk about that here. 2. I wanted to provide value. I know most people will not be able to read these posts every day. But when they want to read, or when they need a boost, I want to have new content. 3. I wanted to see if I could do it. I love goals that stretch me. And from a content perspective, creating something new every day excited me! These were the reasons I started. But I have discovered some interesting truths along the way. Here are the reasons I am still excited to keep going. 1. It’s working. From an audience perspective, the traffic continues to grow. Content marketing is a long term game. 2. I want to see if I can maintain it. At this point, I have posted well over 100 days in a row. That’s exciting! Will I break the streak? I might. But not today. 3. I keep coming up with new ideas. That’s one of the big concerns, right? You will run out of ideas. But the opposite has been true for me. Jeff Haden talked to me about this. When you are doing it every day, your brain is constantly looking for things to write about. When you are doing it once a week…not so much. So though there are days when I struggle to come up with something, it’s usually no more than when I was writing twice a month. 4. I feel like I am getting better. The reality is, if you want to be great at nearly anything, you need to put in the work. It’s what Malcom Gladwell called the 10,000 hours rule. So no matter whether you want to get better at sales, content, fitness, or cooking, the secret is…there is no secret. You need to keep putting in the work. You need to keep it up day after day. You need to keep going after other people stop. That’s the secret. The great news is, it’s completely in your control. The better news is, it’s probably not as hard as you think…if you just start…and keep going. Make sure you never miss an update! It’s time to sign up for our VIP newsletter! Why? Simple. We are posting a lot of content. Once a week we send you an email to recap it all in one place. Sign up here.
by Kirby Hasseman
It’s that time of year. What time of year, you ask? It’s that time of year that the mornings get cooler, the leaves begin to change colors, and football is on TV! Hooray! It’s also the time of year that most organizations need to start thinking about “thank you.” It’s time to make sure your customers, employees, sales team and board members know how much you appreciate them. (It’s time to bridge the Appreciation Gap…I talk about that here). But what do you get them? How do you make it special? We can help. Today we take a look at some really cool executive branded gifts your team will love. Sonosphere Bluetooth Speaker: This is the perfect executive gift for that person that spends time at their desk. The Sonosphere will serve as a constant reminder of your appreciation for them. And since the minimum is 1…you could even personalize it. iLuv Personal Assistant/Bluetooth Speaker: Speaking of tech, how about tying your bluetooth speaker into your personal Alexa assistant? Yes…that would be cool. Your special guests can do just that with this cool piece! RamblerPack Backpack: Simple. Functional. On trend. This backpack fits in all 3 of these categories. Make sure you can head from the office, to the gym, to wherever and do it in style! Check out details on this one here. Urban Peak Gift Set: I love this gift set so much I got it for my team last year! This awesome cooler bag (great functional size) pairs with all of the drinkware you could need! It comes with 3 Vacuum sealed pieces with the 30 oz, the 20 oz and the 3 in 1. This is cool for everyone on your list! Coleman® 36-Hour 42-Can Marine Soft-Sided Cooler: If you want my favorite cooler on the market right now, you have found it. I even wrote about it here. This is a great size because it holds 42 cans, but is still manageable. It keeps ice for 36 hours and it has a cool accessible top that I love. You can find more info here. Thumpah Bluetooth Speaker: Get the party started, well, thumping with this super cool bluetooth speaker. If you have someone that wants to experience music on the go, this is your go to item!
Westbridge Leather Rucksack: this piece is sure to impress. Okay…so that is a great place to start! There are plenty of other options available! Need more ideas? You can shop online here. Or we can help you as well. Just click here if you need more ideas or if you want to set up a consultation. Finally, make sure you never miss an update. Sign up for our VIP newsletter here.
by Kirby Hasseman
“For myself I am an optimist — it does not seem to be much use being anything else.” Winston Churchill The Delivering Marketing Joy Podcast is back! Our goal here is to attack 2018 with a vengeance! The Delivering Marketing Joy Podcast will provide some inspiration, motivation and education to make it happen! Consider this your 10 minute “kick in the pants” to get your week started off right! Today on the podcast we discuss why I don’t see the downside of being an optimist. We also dig into a book called Becoming Supernatural by Dr. Joe Dispenza. There’s a lot to discover and a lot to discuss. Listen in now…and let me know what you think! As always, thanks for listening in! If you want to check out the book Becoming Supernatural from Dr. Joe Dispenza, you can do that here. Thanks for listening! Make sure you never miss an update by signing up for our VIP newsletter here.
by Kirby Hasseman
I am a believer is routines. Whether you have good ones or bad ones…you have them. And often, they are the driving force behind your life. I talk about that in detail here on the DMJ Podcast. That is why I have set up intentional routines in my morning. It’s a way I can get control of the first part of my day. And in my experience, the attitude in the first part of my day has a big impact on the rest of my day. But recently my family introduced a “routine destroyer” into my life. The havoc-wreaking hurricane of cuteness is called…a puppy. A puppy does not care in the least about my morning routines. It cares about barking, whining, peeing, pooping, chewing, scratching and sniffing. Pretty much every single noise they make signals that something bad is happening. They are constantly busy and constantly distracting. (I am just sitting down for the 4th time to continue typing this). There is a reason God made them cute. This is not a post to say “woe is me. My routines are screwed up.” Well, it’s not JUST that! It’s just a dose of reality. No matter what you do to create intentionality in your life, things will interrupt. If you work to be positive in your life, negativity will still fight to break through. I believe in setting up routines in the morning, but life is getting in the way. It happens. But now what? First, I think it’s important to understand that this is a season. Finn (yes that’s his name) will not be a puppy forever. As the old saying goes “This too shall pass.” It’s important to not get too frustrated (as hard as that is) in the moment. Next, I need to work with my new reality to create a new, intentional routine. I honestly don’t know what that is…yet. But I will figure it out. And once I do that, I will be able to get back to “normal” again. Finally, I can’t use this as an excuse. Yep…this is throwing me off. It’s harder to maintain my writing schedule every morning. And? It’s incumbent upon me to keep going anyway. We all have things that get in the way. It’s still on us to put in the work. It’s time to make sure you never miss an update! Join our VIP list here. We send out an email every Monday to give you a list of all the content for the week! Get it all in one place. Oh…and if you want to look for the best Promo the industry has to offer, you can check that out here.
