The Petrie Dish

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.

Top 10 Wackiest Political Promotional Products – “Must Read” Article of the Week

It never ceases to amaze me when it comes the creative and sometimes bizarre uses for branded merchandise – especially when it comes to the election. ASI has done a tremendous job in finding the 10 strangest products from Trump “hair” socks to the Hillary Clinton “ready-for-action” (not like that) action figure, this article well worth your time. I mean, where else is one going to see Trump and Clinton Chia heads?

CBS Sunday Morning – Campaign Bumper Stickers

It’s rare that a national television news magazine highlights the promotional products industry. It’s even more rare when that story is informative and even positive. This is a six-minute story which highlights the history of campaign bumper stickers and, more specifically, one of our great industry suppliers in Gill Studios. This is a video you can watch at work that even your boss can’t complain about!

PPAI Announces New Expo East Summer Dates

Anyone who has attended Expo East in the past few years know that moving the show to March has put the show on life support. Let’s face it, Atlantic City is a place that never loses any of its “charm” so placing the show in late winter when the possibility of frigid inclement weather is high was never going to work. Kudos to PPAI for realizing this and moving the show back to June when it sort of makes sense to visit Atlantic City.

‘Spinal Tap’ Creator Sues Vivendi for $125 Million

Hello Cleveland! As one of the greatest movies of all time, ‘This is Spinal Tap’ has raked in millions in merchandising and promotional products over the past three decades. However, none of that money has reached the pocked of one Derek Smalls….I mean, Harry Shearer. In fact, he claims that he and the other three creators have only been paid $81 from the millions of merchandise sales since 1984. That’s even less than the band made for the album ‘Smell the Glove’! The punitive damages from this lawsuit alone may go to eleven…million!

Bills Fans Sell Controversial Kaepernick Merchandise Before Game – “Don’t Waste Your Time Reading” Article of the Week

Colin Kaepernick has been protesting how he feels people of color are treated in the United States by kneeling during the national anthem before games – as is his right to do. Not surprisingly, a few fans of the Buffalo Bills sold some t-shirts in the parking lot with anti-Kaepernick messages – some of them far more offensive than his very tasteful protest. For example, a shirt with a rifle scope trained on the mediocre quarterback is not only offensive, but it goes against the very freedom of speech upon which this country was founded. Frankly, any article sharing this crap is a colossal waste of time.