When Uber came to Waukegan, IL-based Brilliant (asi/146116) with a big ask, the team was ready to drive big results.

Brilliant has worked with the rideshare company on a number of smaller projects since 2017; this one, with a major kitting and fulfillment piece, was a chance for the distributor – which has 75 employees and brought in between $20 million and $50 million in 2022 – to show the California tech company exactly what it’s capable of.

Earlier this spring, Uber held its inaugural Reimagine Awards, a week of celebratory in-person and virtual events for employees hosted at the firm’s San Francisco headquarters that included speaker sessions, a luncheon with the executive team (including CEO Dara Khosrowshahi) and an awards ceremony.

The last part is where Brilliant focused its efforts. In the preceding months, employees had nominated more than 340 of their peers (both individuals and teams) as best embodying the company’s recently-unveiled eight Cultural Values: “Go get it,” “Trip obsessed,” “Build with heart,” “Stand for safety,” “See the forest and the trees,” “Great minds don’t think alike,” “Do the right thing” and “One Uber” (a people’s choice winner determined by employee vote). Winners, finalists and semi-finalists were chosen by the company’s executive team.

“We really had to collaborate with our team on the ground in Illinois – we couldn’t risk anyone opening a box with the wrong name, size or value symbol. We had to execute it to perfection.”Claire Sculley, Brilliant

The “Reimagine” name came from Uber’s mission: “reimagine the way the world moves for the better,” says Claire Sculley, senior creative partner at Brilliant.

“It was a global company-wide event held to recognize individuals and teams for living Uber’s cultural values and making a positive impact on their business,” she says. “Uber wanted to inspire a global employee base to continue to live out the values which drive their innovation and profit center.”

Once the recipients were chosen, that’s when the real work began for Sculley and her colleagues, Senior Project Manager Rachel Finnimore and Senior Creative Partner Tommy Gomez, ASI Media’s 2023 Distributor Up-and-Comer of the Year. They were tasked with putting together curated gift boxes of high-end items for all the honorees to be distributed in person at the awards as well as shipped nationally and internationally to virtual attendees ahead of the ceremony. In total, Brilliant sourced 525 products, put together 124 gift sets and shipped boxes to virtual attendees in 17 countries.

“We had to get the timing perfect,” says Sculley. “We included a note for virtual attendees who received their boxes ahead of time to wait to open them until the ceremony.”

There was much to coordinate. Core team members from Uber who worked the event received oversized long-sleeve shirts with a puff screen print on the back from the SPIRIT JERSEY brand. Semi-finalist boxes included crewneck sweatshirts from AS Colour and caps from Paramount Headwear (asi/75945). Finalist boxes contained the crewnecks and caps as well as Carter Move mugs from Fellow. And winners received fleeces from L.L.Bean, custom backpacks from Numo (asi/74710), Carter Move mugs, Beats studio earbuds from Tempo Industries (asi/90859), and awards from Trophyology, a small women-owned operation in Austin.

Each box (sourced from the company noissue) was made of eco-friendly materials, contained personalized notecards made of recycled paper from Smartpress and were finished off with eco-friendly custom-printed packing tape from Sticker Mule on the outside.

“The biggest challenge was all the variables,” says Sculley. “Boxes included apparel with a specific size, name and cultural value symbol on some of the items, like the AS Colour crewnecks and L.L.Bean fleeces. We really had to collaborate with our team on the ground in Illinois – we couldn’t risk anyone opening a box with the wrong name, size or value symbol. We had to execute it to perfection.”

Uber was thrilled with the final result. “Thanks to Brilliant for all the help bringing the swag and awards to life,” says Sean Lopez, visual designer - people & organization development at Uber. “The awards event was a great success, and the winners (and nominees) really enjoyed their prizes. I've already seen the backpack in the wild, and those turned out awesome.”

What’s John Vo’s secret to creativity?

“It’s just waiting to catch lightning in a bottle,” says the owner of WHOOPLA (asi/522701).

That was literally the case with this year’s edition of the annual summer swag kit sent out by the Oak Park, CA-based distributor. Vo found a bottled infusion kit from a company called Aged & Infused – unavailable in the industry at the time but now carried by Gemline (asi/56070). “I really liked the idea, and our kits usually have a cocktail element to it – just because I like cocktails,” Vo remarks. He reached out to the company about co-branding, and they were game, with WHOOPLA (pronounced HOOP-la – the W is silent) settling on a mango hibiscus variety.

“Just based on the flavor profile – it’s mango, it’s tropical – we thought ‘Let’s do a Tiki theme’,” says Vo.

“You can’t throw a bunch of random stuff in a box. When you can tie everything together, it makes for a much better experience.”John Vo, WHOOPLA

The contents of the kit quickly took shape. A subtly decorated Lewis bag and an engraved wooden mallet to make crushed ice. Hibiscus syrup, pineapple juice and limes for peak flavor. An engraved bamboo straw from Totally Bamboo (asi/91565), as well as fun drink umbrellas and a straw grass coaster to liven up the look. And a kitschy tiki glass from WebstaurantStore.com to perfect the vibe. The only thing that couldn’t be included (because of differing laws by state) was the alcohol. “Our approach is, if they got this kit, would they have everything they need to make this drink?” says Vo. “The last thing I want someone to do is go to the store to buy a bunch of different things.”

The kit was a visual home run as well, with custom “Trader Vo’s” labeling on the infusion kit and syrup (playing off the ubiquity of Trader Joe’s) and an eye-catching, decorated, self-sealing box from CompanyBox with “WHOOPLA Tiki Bar” emblazoned on the top.

In total, the campaign cost $4,000 for the 85 kits that were sent to VIP clients and prospects who had been unresponsive. “When we first started [the company], we did kits that weren’t too expensive,” says Vo. “At this point though, we have a big enough client base and they spend enough money with us that a little $10 gift isn’t going to cut it. If we want them to spend a certain amount, we need to spend a certain amount too.”

It certainly worked. WHOOPLA gained three new clients that spent over $33,000 in initial projects. Also, over $20,000 in additional custom kitting projects came in that the distributor attributes to the campaign. All told, the summer swag kit generated over 1,225% in ROI.

It’s impressive results for a distributor that consists of just three employees total – Vo, Sales Manager Yanique Bridge and Production Manager Jovy Tindaan – but brings in $1.5 million annually across industries such as cosmetics, retail and tech. Vo worked with computers in a previous life, but departed to help his sister’s screen printing and embroidery business before starting WHOOPLA about two decades ago.

“For us, it’s always doing something fun, colorful and thematic,” he says about the company’s approach to self-promos. “Everything has to tie into each other. You can’t throw a bunch of random stuff in a box. When you can tie everything together, it makes for a much better experience.”

Since 2019, Top 40 supplier PCNA (asi/66887) has grown revenue from environmentally conscious products by 67%. It’s indicative of the shifting conversation around sustainability in the promo industry – transitioning from nice-to-have to a mandatory consideration.

Seeing the change, the New Kensington, PA-based supplier took a major step last year to expand sustainable purchasing practices with the introduction of ProudPath – a corporate social responsibility (CSR) platform that offers customers hundreds of sustainable and responsible products, plus education and communication materials in an accessible and easy-to-understand format.

The company built out a new site with the tagline “Planet. People. Purpose.”, which acts as a portal for distributors to find all the information they need to navigate the CSR space. Answers to frequently asked questions such as “What is a B Corp?” or “What does ESG stand for?” help to educate sales reps on the ever-growing vernacular within the industry as techniques and ideologies change and expand. They can also conduct product searches by filtering through the program’s five pillars: Purpose Partners (Certified B Corps), Brands That Give Back (charitable foundations or nonprofit partnerships), Responsible Sourcing (FSC or other third-party certifications), Owner Diversity (women- or minority-owned businesses), and Eco-Friendly (made with recycled or sustainable materials).

“These pillars make it easy for distributors to find the perfect product to meet the CSR requests from their customers,” says Mary Furto, vice president of marketing at PCNA. “By simplifying the process of procurement for distributors, we’re acting as a catalyst for positive decisions and impact for the promotional products industry.”

“By simplifying the process of procurement for distributors, we’re acting as a catalyst for positive decisions and impact for the promotional products industry.”Mary Furto, PCNA

To create buzz for the program’s launch, PCNA hosted an exclusive first-look webinar for more than 300 distributor partners. The webinar introduced the new platform and its resources, answered questions, highlighted brand partners aligned with the ProudPath pillars, provided education on sustainability and selling, and motivated distributors to use this blueprint as a roadmap in the global movement toward sustainable promo business.

Attendees were asked to input their mailing addresses when signing up for the webinar, and PCNA sent out kits with ProudPath-branded products to every attendee to demonstrate the reach of products available through the platform. Each mailer included a ChicoBag (asi/44811) recycled tote, a Rocketbook (asi/83078) notebook bundle, Skullcandy wireless earbuds, a tentree organic cotton cable blanket, and a Klean Kanteen insulated water bottle – all trusted brands and products that are backed with the ProudPath stamp of approval.

PCNA’s marketing, product development and sales teams were involved in the creation of this campaign, and the company spent $15,000 on it, from inception to execution. The results? Web traffic to the ProudPath landing page increased by 25% after the webinar and mailer, and the company also saw an approximate 15% increase on specific eco-friendly and sustainable SKUs presented during the webinar.

“We have found our webinars to be a highly effective way to communicate with distributors, from corporate positions to AEs in the field,” says Furto. “We had record attendees at this session and know that distributors are craving education tools on sustainability and case studies on how to win with customers. Pair that with quality products, email, social media and paid media to drive traffic to our website, and we’d call that a successful campaign.”

SnugZ USA (asi/88060) rooted its message in honesty, vulnerability and a sincere care for customers.

And in so doing, the Top 40 supplier created a top-notch video – titled “We’re Ready” – with a powerful narrative that helped it win back the goodwill of countless clients following a rough patch for the firm.

“There was no reason to lie or sweep things under the rug,” says SnugZ President/CEO Brandon Mackay, a member of Counselor’s Power 50 list of promo’s most influential people. “We’d had some challenges, but we worked through them and came out so much stronger for our customers and each other. It was important to tell that story.”

Some context: In January 2022, SnugZ completed one of the biggest acquisitions promo has ever seen when it formally announced the purchase of then fellow Top 40 supplier Sweda.

The deal’s close was just the beginning, though. What followed was a monumentally challenging integration of two large established companies.

The efforts to align and streamline everything from sales teams to technology to warehousing ate up massive amounts of hours and contributed to what SnugZ candidly admits was a drop in service and customer satisfaction levels. It sure didn’t help matters that the integration was playing out amid continued pandemic-era marketplace upheaval, which included labor shortages, resurgent demand for promo products, and supply chain fiascos. (Despite the issues, the supplier did manage to increase sales by 7.6% in 2022.)

Still, SnugZ was determined to get the integration right. And after the better part of a year, the firm felt it had done so. Now, another tough challenge arose: Re-earning the trust of customers who’d been turned off during the integration-era imbroglios.

Jeff Anderton, director of content at SnugZ, shares that the firm could have put out a press release to address the issues. However, that just didn’t feel like it would have the right resonance to really communicate SnugZ’s evolution and the importance of how that growth would help distributor clients. And so, the idea for a video directed to the industry was born.

“There was no reason to lie or sweep things under the rug. We’d had some challenges, but we worked through them and came out so much stronger for our customers and each other. It was important to tell that story.”Brandon Mackay, SnugZ USA

Anderton, Mackay and other creative leaders at SnugZ like Brandon Brown, vice president of marketing, wanted the narrative to highlight all the ways SnugZ had improved and was now “ready” to assist customers with five-star service and solutions that would surpass even what they might have previously expected.

The leaders knew it was just as important to acknowledge the issues of 2022 in an honest way. “We had to own it,” says Mackay.

Shaped by Anderton, the video has a compelling story arc, starting with Mackay arriving to work in the dark on a snowy day, walking in slow-motion as he acknowledges the integration issues and also gives props to the employees who worked tirelessly to complete the process.

After Mackay says, “And now, We’re Ready,” the music drops big and picks up pace, and the video charges forward full steam ahead, flashing to different departments where team leaders from customer service, sales and distribution/warehousing give quick, high-energy insights into improvements made that will benefit distributors. Each speedy telling ends with a SnugZ employee saying, “We’re Ready,” reinforcing the theme that the company is prepared to crush it again for customers.

Released near the beginning of the year, the video circulated widely in the industry, including on popular industry social media forums. It garnered widespread praise for its honesty and customer focus. And it helped convince customers that the supplier (which has a 4.5 rating in ESP) was poised for a new era.

Says Brown: “We saw a significant increase in call volume, order count and overall positive engagement that came from the increased trust the video helped generate with our distributor partners. We knew that we had to be transparent in what we were trying to accomplish and once we finished our integration process, we wanted to present that message in an open and honest way.”

Sustainability benefits everyone, and that was the idea behind the corporate social responsibility (CSR) campaign launched by INM Marketing Group (asi/229643) this year. The goals were two-fold: organize around its own values as an organization and promote understanding of CSR among clients. A four-month collaboration between the leadership, marketing and sales departments, the campaign was developed as a response to clients asking about sustainability and as the promo industry as a whole began to focus more seriously on how to “do good” through business.

“We take a very holistic approach to CSR and product selection, focusing on four main categories: diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI); philanthropy or products that ‘give back’; environmental sustainability; and ethical or fair trade,” says Maggie Braden, marketing manager at INM, which is based in Dallas. “These are the pillars we used in our own internal assessment as well as what we used as the foundation for building the client-facing campaign.”

The campaign’s target audience included 40 core decision-makers from their current clients’ marketing and HR departments. Each recipient received a branded kit complete with a display mailer from BoxUp (asi/41320), plantable pencils from Sprout (asi/88893), a 12-oz. cobalt glass made from recycled wine bottles from Refresh Glass (asi/81255), a biodegradable book from The Book Company (asi/41010), and a grocery tote from ChicoBag (asi/44811). An insert card was fastened to each item with the retail pricing and specific product information that classified the item as CSR. Another insert highlighted INM’s main partnership with Humanility, a nonprofit in the Philippines whose mission is to emancipate and empower victims of poverty and children at risk; INM supports the organization through monetary and product donations.

“It wasn’t solely about the products or the kit. As a company, it was about us learning what our clients and fellow employees really cared about and guiding them toward making a positive impact.”Maggie Braden, INM Marketing Group

INM spent $55 per kit and shipped the mailers in May, and supported the initiative throughout the summer with a three-month social media campaign on Instagram and Facebook, as well as blog posts on the company’s website. INM (which has total annual revenue of $6 million) achieved a direct ROI of 304%, measured by tracking purchases of all CSR categorized products post-campaign from the mailer recipients. Moreover, the company has seen a significant increase in general client awareness of CSR and a growing demand for sustainable items. Some clients even ordered products directly from the mailer to include in their campaigns.

“The initiative has pushed our clients to think of the bigger picture within CSR, not simply using products that are made from recycled materials,” says Braden. “One client did gifts for their employees and ordered all items from women-owned suppliers within our DEI classification, and several clients ordered the Refresh glasses for their own holiday gift campaign shortly after receiving the kit.”

The INM team of 15 has experienced a total mindset shift due to this campaign. Sales reps now include sustainable products in every presentation, they lead with CSR suggestions where appropriate for new client pitches, and they’re taking seriously what it means to be part of the solution in the industry today. “It wasn’t solely about the products or the kit,” says Braden. “As a company, it was about us learning what our clients and fellow employees really cared about and guiding them toward making a positive impact. It’s changed the way we look at all of our projects and how we do business as a whole.”