The Petrie Dish

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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.

Industry Loses a Giant with Passing of Jack Nadel – “Must Read” Article of the Week

A few months ago, the passing of Bill Schmidt, Sr. of Hit Promotional Products saddened the promotional products industry. Last week, the industry was rocked again by sadness at the death of industry icon, Jack Nadel. We all know the distributor that bears his name, but this very well written obituary tells the story of the man and well worth a few minutes of your time.  

PPAI Welcomes Rosin, Willochell and Zimmer to the Association’s Board

Normally, this would be the “must read” of the week as it’s vitally important for all members of the industry to know how the PPAI board operates and that begins with knowing who is on the board. After a nearly month-long election process, Danny Rosin of BrandFuel (disclosure – Danny is a founding member of PromoKitchen), Sharon Willochell of PCNA won board seats that will expire in 2021. D’Anna Zimmer of Bag Makers has been appointed as the RAC delegate to the PPIA board and her term will expire in 2019. It’s truly a pleasure to see fantastic and caring people take such an interest in helping steer our industry through these complex times.

Gold Bond Worldwide Closes Production Facility

As the industry experiences more consolidation, these types of headlines will become far more commonplace. It makes all the sense in the world that Gold Bond would close their Covington, TN facility and move all operations to their main plant in Hixon, TN as it will create operational and service consistencies.

9 Promotional Items to Consider Using in Your Next Direct Mail Campaign

Anyone who knows me fully understands that I loathe the term “item” as it relates to our industry. Even so, I still read this article from Entrepreneur Magazine. The article is a little on the broad side when it comes to recommending merchandise (not items), but it still provides a nice guide for end-users seeking to improve their direct mail results. In particular, I was pleasantly surprised by the inclusion of such product (not item) stalwarts as calendars, microfiber, and food gifts. This is a good article to send to any client that will underscore the value of promotional marketing (not items).

ISIS Bans Citizens from Wearing Soccer Gear, Threatens to Give Them 80 Lashes – “Don’t Waste Your Time Reading” Article of the Week

Never known for their tolerance, this article about how ISIS is banning the apparel of several European soccer teams strikes a new level of absurdity.  Among the teams mentioned were Manchester United, Chelsea, and Manchester City. According to ISIS officials, the issue at hand is really the rules of soccer’s governing body, FIFA. Specifically, ISIS considers that FIFA allows for a referee at odds with its religion. In fact, ISIS has developed its own rules for soccer – rules that allow for injured players the ability to seek revenge against opponents. Hey, ISIS, this doesn’t exactly make a case for you being invited to the next World Cup.