Every week there are articles published that are of interest to promotional products industry professionals across the land. To save you time, I have culled the internet for the ones you should read and the ones you should skip.

5 Signs It’s Time to Rebrand – “Must Read” Article of the Week

I’ve always been amazed that so many people in our industry – an industry revolved around branding and marketing – have such horrible brands. Whether they are too cute, too complex, or could be confused for a law firm or plumbing company, far too many distributors need to take a hard look at their own brand. This article from Entrepreneur Magazine is something that all distributors should read to get their own internal conversation going about their brand. Whether your image is obsolete or your original brand was botched, this article then suggests some next steps when it is time to rebrand.

The $3.5 Million Company Born Out of a USC Football Tailgate

With so many entrepreneurs in the promotional products industry, it’s always worth a read when there is an article sharing how someone started with nothing and made it into something. Or, in the case of Pop! Promos, more than just something. This article details how Pop! Promos founder Sterling Wilson started his business from a football tailgate to now working with major brands. It’s truly an inspirational read.

AIA Corporation Names New CEO

When perennial Top 40 Distributor AIA announced the retirement of the legendary David Woods in June, many watched with curiosity as to who would be selected to succeed him. Well, be curious no more as AIA has named Matt Gresge to lead the organization. With experience leading a sales and marketing agency for independent distributors, Gresge is very bullish on building on the growth strategies of his predecessor.

San Antonio Cops Face Discipline for Wearing ‘Make America Great Again’ Hats in Trump Video

As the race for the presidency of the United States crawls towards election day, both candidates are making the rounds in an effort to secure the support of voters. This past week, Republican nominee Donald Trump made his way to San Antonio and used his arrival to offload some of his promotional hats to the local policemen that would serve has his security detail. To get the most amount of publicity, Trump tweeted a photo of the officers wearing the hats which caught the attention of city and police officials who swiftly stated that it violated department policy and the officers will be disciplined. It’s a free country and every citizen should be allowed to support the candidate of their choice. However, it is very problematic when that support is done by policemen on duty and in uniform – regardless of who they are supporting. Two thumbs WAY down, San Antonio police!

USPS Seeks Price Increases – “Don’t Waste Your Time Reading” Article of the Week

Warning: Sarcasm Alert

Wait, WHAT?!?! The United States Postal Service is asking to increase the price of a Forever Stamp by two cents making the price per piece to $0.49? Next you’ll be telling me that gas prices will fluctuate during peak driving seasons or that American Airlines has a horrible on-time record. Okay, the sarcasm is over, but I can’t fathom how this even qualifies as news as the USPS asks to hike the price of stamps every single year.  As such, I declare this is not news and is merely an “informational nugget of the unnecessary.”