Every week there are articles published that are of interest to promotional products industry professionals across the land. To save you time, a rotating group of PromoKitchen chefs have culled the internet for the ones you should read and the ones you should skip. This week’s Dish was authored by Chef Bill Petrie.

Marketing to Millennials Won’t Grow Your Brand – “Must Read” Article of the Week

To be clear, this is NOT an article that bashes millennials. Instead this story focuses on how marketers keep dropping the ball because they are marketing to a group and not to people. With the promotional products industry so focused on targeted millennials, there are several bites of the reality sandwich including my favorite: “What millennials want is what 20- and 30-somethings want. The answer is the same as it has always been – fun, sex, the illusion of individuality, and ownership of relevance and consequence.” Those of us who are not millennials – but have lived through our 20’s and 30’s – need to remember to market to people as individuals instead of millennials a group because people will always transcend data.

Is Your B2B Business Simply a Commodity Business?

Most distributors in the promotional products industry would argue that they don’t sell commodities – they sell marketing solutions. While that may be true for a select few, the fact is if you have pricing on your website, your business is most assuredly a commodity. This begs the question (which the article asks), how do you really distinguish your business? The only way is people because people are unique. As the article states, “everything else being equal, your people are the sole reason most companies buy from your company vs. another company.” This is a great read for anyone in our industry and a fantastic reminder to focus on the people who work for and with you.

Second Careers in the Promo Products Industry

Simply put, this is a terrific series of four articles profiling professionals who are thriving in the promotional products industry after finishing careers in other fields. The people range from professional athletes (Ki-Jana Carter – former NFL running back) to corporate executives (Denise Taschereau – former sustainability director at Canada’s largest outdoor retailer). This series offers some keen insight as so why successful people have jumped to the promotional products industry after achieving a high level of acclaim in previous positions.

Kentucky is the Merchandise Powerhouse of the NCAA Tournament – “Don’t Waste Your Time Reading” Article of the Week

So, you’re telling me that the most widely known college basketball team also happens to sell the most merchandise annually regardless of their current level of success? This article from Forbes is as obvious as it is boring. Of course Kentucky sells more merchandise than anyone else – the same applies to the Dallas Cowboys, New York Yankees, and Notre Dame, even when the teams are lousy. Teams that are popular tend to sell more shirts, hats, and giant foam fingers. That’s the way it always has been and the way it always will be.