The top ASI Media podcast episodes of this year certainly ran the gamut.

We started off with a bang featuring professional-development insights along with major Top 40 acquisition news on Promo Insiders, continued with tips for educating audiences via social media on The Social Angle, and rounded out our top episodes with ways to create a best place to work … with none other than a few of our Counselor Best Places to Work honorees. Peppered among these listens was advice on creating a more diverse workforce and the impact of branded guitars (available from a Florida supplier).

1

The Importance of Diversity

The discussion over diversity in business has intensified in recent years. And yet, there’s still a risk that it can become just another catchphrase in a corporate world that’s known for its flurry of trendy phrases. Diversity is critical for companies’ productivity and team performance, says Darryl Jenkins, managing partner of corporate branding company The CPS Store (asi/232119) and author of The Power of Diversity: Leading the Majority Minority. An executive consultant for 25 years, Jenkins also spoke at the 2022 ASI Shows. In this Promo Insiders episode, he lays out five steps to hit diversity goals.

2

NFTs and the Promo Products Industry

What in the world is a nonfungible token (NFT)? In short: It’s a way to certify ownership of something – whether it’s a physical item, music file, even a promo product – that’s then recorded on the blockchain. In this episode, Meg Erber from Top 40 supplier S&S Activewear (asi/84358), Lisa Fosdick of Branded Treats (asi/93546) and Jeremy Picker of AMB3R (asi/590243) gave examples of how NFTs could have an impact on promo. Indeed, they’re gaining steam in the industry – recently, Wendell August Forge (asi/37457) launched an NFT collection and Harper+Scott (asi/220052) announced the launch of H+S META, which will offer NFTs.

3

Create Connections & Commerce With Promo Products

As 2022 kicked off, consultant Carolyn Strauss shared her top tips for creating a sales strategy in the new year. The 2022 ASI Show speaker is also a recognized author, and spent nearly 20 years on the Home Shopping Network, where she sold more than $160 million worth of her personal clothing line. Among the suggestions she shared in this Promo Insiders episode were to create connections with loyal clients, offer solutions rather than sell and join a mastermind group for professional development.

4

Promo + Social Media: Perfect Together!

In the top Social Angle podcast of the past year, Natasha Rawls, branding consultant for MRL Group (asi/71746), shared her unique social media strategy – which includes making videos that spotlight new promo products while showing off her fun dance moves. She’s even gone viral on TikTok, racking up 5 million views for one of her posts. In this Social Angle episode, she talked about how the promo industry can best leverage social media to build excitement around branded products.

5

Behind the Deal: Insights Into SnugZ USA’s Acquisition of Sweda

In one of the biggest M&A moves of 2022, Top 40 supplier SnugZ USA (asi/88060) acquired fellow Top 40 supplier Sweda Company (asi/90305). As a result, SnugZ is now approaching Top 10 status on Counselor’s list of the largest suppliers in the industry; it’s now ranked 13, up from number 27 last year. In this Promo Insiders episode, SnugZ CEO Brandon Mackay (a member of the Counselor Power 50 list) and former Sweda CEO Jim Hagan discussed the deal – how it came about and what it means for the companies moving forward. The article on ASI Central announcing the acquisition was also one of our top news stories of the year.

6

Rock On! A Promo Item Made for the Digital Age

One Florida supplier is taking branded products to the next octave: Brand O’ Guitar Company (asi/41461) provides imprinted custom guitars to a slew of industries, from music to tech, to the tune of between 40,000 and 50,000 a year. Lisa “Guitar Girl” Gavoni, owner of the company, joined the Social Angle to talk about target markets for custom guitars, her famous clients – like Cheap Trick and Def Leppard – and the instruments’ appearances on social media.

7

Using Social Media to Educate

Social media has gotten a bad rap in recent years as just another place for people to spout off and complain. And yet, when used with good intentions, it can be a helpful repository of educational content. For promo companies, that means generating material for distributor clients and end-buyers. Jenna Sackett, brand activation manager at Stahls’ (asi/88984), joined The Social Angle to talk about Stahls’ presence on social media, which is meant to educate distributors on how to use and market their imprinting products, and the platforms with which they’ve had the most success.

8

I’m New, Now What? Tips for Social Media Newbies

It’s a frequent refrain in this industry: People find promo by accident, not knowing that it’s a $23.2 billion market, and end up creating a career they love. That’s the case for Paola Granados, social media manager for AnyPromo (asi/117065) in California – she was at first attracted to the marketing opportunities in the industry more than the branded products, but since then, she’s leveraged a fun marketplace and created educational and humorous content for her company. Make sure to do research on what other companies are doing on social, she said during this Social Angle podcast, and experiment with your own individual take on the content in a way that moves the needle.

9

The State of Social Media in the Promo Industry

Both Granados and Sackett made repeat appearances on The Social Angle in this roundtable discussion about the state of social media in the promo industry. They were joined by social media veterans Jessica Gibbons-Rauch, Taylor Borst of American Solutions for Business (asi/120075) and Mike Ross of Proforma (asi/300094), and the group shared how their firms use social media, the strides still to be made in the industry, and why social is critical for business success.

10

Make Your Business a Best Place to Work

Counselor’s annual Best Places to Work list recognizes suppliers and distributors across the industry for their culture, perks and, in 2022, the adjustment to hybrid and all-remote work during and after the pandemic. This episode of Promo Insiders welcomed several of this year’s honorees: Carolina Junghans, managing partner of Blink Marketing Inc. (asi/141424); Jill Haspert, CEO of Foxtrot Marketing Group (asi/170720); and, from Crystal D (asi/47759) Stephanie Maday, vice president of sales, and Bridget Dahlgren, vice president of marketing. The guests discussed what makes a best place to work in 2022, and how other promo companies can follow suit.