To celebrate our 30th anniversary, Printable pledged a portion of our April sales to My Block, My Hood, My City.

The youth that MBMHMC serves only live a few miles away from downtown Chicago, yet many of them express that they have never been there.

On July 8th, their Downtown Day event will bring 1,000 youth ages 13-22 to explore downtown.

Marketing and event peeps: Did you know that drinkware is the 2nd most-sold product category in the branded merch space?

Drinkware accounted for 9.7% of merch sales in 2021 (the latest year of data from the Advertising Specialty Institute's State of Industry report).

Hey, HR Folks - ever hear of the "happy hormone" AKA Dopamine?

When you say a kind word or thank someone for their work, research shows that it sparks a dopamine release in the other person.

Praised on the job?

You'll get a dopamine hit.

Ever heard of the word “lagniappe”?

I first came across it while listening to a “book on tape” about providing great customer service.

The definition is simple: A lagniappe is something given as a bonus or extra gift.

What started as an old Louisiana tradition, especially in the French Quarter of New Orleans, the concept has spread internationally.

Are you using ai in your business? It seems to be the thing to do these days.

I thought I would give it a go, so I asked ChatGPT to help me describe the screen printing process for our clients. But I added a twist: it had to be from the perspective of the shirt that was being printed. And in the form of a rap song.

Packaging.

Custom kitting, branded packaging, and drop-shipping have always been among Printable's services.

But since the spring of 2020 when the in-person event world shut down, what was once an afterthought is now an essential step in the gifting experience.

Breakfast – the most important meal of the day. And when you pair a pancake-making food gifting experience with a tangible branded gift – there is a multiplier effect! When the food is enjoyed, the recipient experiences all the good vibes AND the drawstring gift bag will be used for years to come!

Remote workers can feel disconnected and alone. Incorporating merch in your team-building efforts brings a physical element into a digital relationship.

Here are my top 3 tips for keeping remote teams engaged with branded merch

Step #1: Pick your merch Step #2: Distribute it. I work with my clients all day long on selecting branded merch. My job is to help them find a product that is memorable, functional (and stealable!) and best tells their brand story! And that’s just step #1.

Hey, HR Folks with these job titles: HR Manager HR Coordinator Employee Engagement Specialist Chief Fun Officer You are the job titles we have been hearing from increasingly these days!

All day, every day I work with my clients on selecting branded merch. My job is to help them find a memorable, functional (and stealable) product that best tells their brand story! But the brand story is just part of the equation. Another important part is the brand VIBE.

It’s 5:00 pm somewhere!

It’s not just Jimmy Buffet fans that like to celebrate when the workday is over!

Experiential gifts like this Happy Hour Kit complete with customized cork coasters have been popular with our clients who conduct remote events and want the group to celebrate together “on camera”.

Do you know your client’s "who"?

“I’m looking to spend $5 per item and need about 500 of something. What ideas do you have for me?”

Does this directive sound familiar?

Sure, all of us in the merch space could probably spout off a dozen product ideas to this client request.

But if you don’t ask (at least) one more question, you are doing your client a disservice.

Corporate social & environmental responsibility is changing business for the long term – and for the better.

With the help from our partners at PCNA - Bridget Kress, Erika DeWolf, Emily Douglas, Rick French we’re proud to offer our clients branded merchandise they can feel good about.

Hey, Event Planners and Marketers: T-shirts are #1!

And that's not just something you might see printed on a tee for sale on the beaches of Miami, FL...but a reality in our industry for decades now!

Even in 2020, t-shirts remained the top category we sell here at Printable despite other, more fleeting products eating into its market share (Hello: masks and sanitizers).

You know how people bake cookies when they go to sell their house?

The reason? The positive feelings associated with the smell of warm baked goods!

How can you get your gift recipients to have the same positive feelings associated with your brand?

The answer is simple — give them a baking experience they simply cannot forget.

Hey, HR managers: Branded merch can be part of the solution to the 3 “R’s” that keep you up at night:

👉🏻Recruitment of talent

👉🏻Retention of employees

👉🏻Rewarding and appreciating existing team members

Does your office kitchen have a box of chocolates that looks like this?

The Printable team received this box of chocolates from our landlord.

The problem?

They were gone within 24 hours with nothing left behind to show for the lovely gesture except empty wrappers.

When we first begin branded merch work with our clients, we ask them to see their website, logo, and brand guidelines.

Crazy, but only about 10% of them have brand guidelines and a clear identity and “vibe” for their brand!

"Culture eats strategy for breakfast." – Peter Drucker

Being part of the leadership team at Printable, I have found this to be very true, as culture is the secret sauce that helps team members feel a sense of belonging.

Now more than ever, workers (especially the remote ones!) want to feel a sense of belonging in their workplace.