Virtual Swag! The Making of the Video.

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When Danny Rosin first explained Brand Fuel’s Virtual Swag concept, I was immediately drawn into the unique customer experience. I have been both a booth operator and attendee of several trade shows and expos. It can be a pain to lug around tons of pens, stress balls, bottle openers, koozies, and other trinkets at shows.…

A Friend Died Recently

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I devoted some time to helping his family close the chapter on all of the things he left behind in his home and workspace. As we maneuvered through his personal effects in his space, you could feel his presence. And while the task of moving things into donate, sell, toss, and give away piles was…

About Partnership

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Robert Fiveash and Danny Rosin invest in partnership retreats twice a year. Some retreats are spent in exotic places like exit 12, off US 58 in South Hill, VA at The Shoney’s. Sometimes, they do that important Brand Fuel strategic planning at one of their homes where, inevitably, one of their tweeny daughters interrupts us…

World’s Only Swag Lottery Machine. Say What??!!

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  UPDATE: 1/18/17 – Brand Fuel wins PPAI’s National Marketing Award for the Swag Lottery Machine! See the World’s Only Swag Lottery Machine in action! And check out these great shots of unsuspecting adopters at the Triangle AMA’s High Five Conference 2016! What do you get when you take albums by Elvis, Pat Benatar, Dionne Warwick, Barry…

Top Marketing + Design Conference Hits Raleigh in March

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Do you have a flair for Marketing? Design? Both? If you answered “yes,” it’s high time you venture over to your budget-holding counterparts, bypass the “I’m too busy” alibis and join Brand Fuelians at the High Five Marketing + Creative Conference on March 2-3, 2016 in Raleigh. Why does Brand Fuel endorse this conference? 1)…

Can Evel Jump It? Evel Knievel Dares to Jump Brand Fuel’s Power Bank AC Adaptor

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Marketing in a crowded, distracting world to get attention is incredibly challenging. So, our team decided to take a chance and inject one of our childhood heroes, Evel Knievel, into a feature product video. Why Evel Knievel? He never backed down from a challenge. We also wanted to honor this unwavering optimist, self-promoter extraordinaire, media…

A Letter to the Brand Fuel Sales Team

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Sales Team- Another year is going into the Brand Fuel books so we get to measure ourselves against our past performances and goals. How did you do? If you are excited about your results, what will you do to keep the momentum going? If you’re disappointed, what will you change? What new skills do you…

Promotional Products Blooper Reel: “The event planner was mortified…”

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Remember the story about the school that ran an anti-drug campaign by printing and distributing “Too Cool to Do Drugs” pencils to students? When the pencils were sharpened, they read “Cool to Do Drugs” and eventually “Do Drugs”. Talk about a promotional product fail. I empathize with that well-intended organization whose campaign completely backfired. Having…

A Crash Course in New Decoration on Apparel

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You’ve been charged to come up with a sharp, branded apparel item to engage new customers. You want classy but on trend to create maximum impact yet have longevity. How do you decide? One of the best ways to create impact on any apparel item is to choose the right decoration method. Curious about what’s…

Riddle Me This! Musings on Customer Relationships

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After a decade in the Promo business, there isn’t a situation I haven’t encountered—volcanic ash delaying a dated event delivery. A shipping crisis I haven’t faced: “We will have to ship this to the Starbucks closest to your conference center! I’ll call and let them know a box is coming for you to pick up.…

Best Places Thoughts

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Simply having a dog at work does not breed an awesome culture; matter of fact, it might bring fleas. Trying to have a “Best Place to Work” really isn’t about all the stuff. Not the free ice cream. Not the ping pong table in the break room. Not even the souped-up matching 401K plan. Those…