Mark Graham, Author at PromoKitchen

The only way we will grow to $50 Billion

Posted on December 14, 2015 by Mark Graham

You might not like it, but this is how … Now, before I start to receive hate mail and stink eyes, this has nothing to do with ASI. In full disclosure, here’s some background on me and some context for my comments. I started a distributorship (RIGHTSLEEVE) in the late 90s…

Distributors: Please Quit B***ng About The Online Competition

Posted on June 17, 2015 by Mark Graham

I read the following post on an industry discussion group this week and it compelled me to write this tough love piece. All of this has been written from the vantage of someone who started a distributorship 17 years ago and deals with online competitors all the time. Offline Distributor/33 Years Industry Experience writes: “It’s happened twice today. Lost…

PK Podcast #83 – Jacques Panis, Shinola

Posted on June 10, 2015 by Mark Graham

In this episode of the PK Podcast, Mark Graham and fellow chef Robert Fiveash speak with the leader of one of America’s most interesting and bravest new companies, Shinola. Today’s guest is also a promotional products alumnus, a former employee of Brand Fuel no less, and he speaks to us on how his time in the industry prepared him for…

PK Podcast #82 – Marshall Atkinson

Posted on May 29, 2015 by Mark Graham

In this PromoKitchen Podcast, Mark Graham and chef Roger Burnett speak with Marshall Atkinson of Visual Impressions. Within the promotional products industry, contract screen printers and embroiderers drive a large amount of volume, yet many of them lack the visibility enjoyed by more prominent promotional suppliers. There is no doubt about it, contract decorators play a key role in the…

PK Podcast #81 – Mike Stopforth, Cerebra – South Africa

Posted on May 13, 2015 by Mark Graham

Mark Graham recently stumbled across a great blog post written by the owner of a South African ad agency. His name was Mike Stopforth. He loved the post so much that he tracked him down in Johannesburg for an interview. Mike is the CEO of Cerebra, an ad agency based on South Africa and one of the most of…

PK Podcast #80 Part 2 of 2 – Norman Cohn, ASI

Posted on April 29, 2015 by Mark Graham

In this episode of the PromoKitchen Podcast, Chefs Mark Graham and Dale Denham bring you up to the present as we speak to Norman Cohn, Chairman of the Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) about how both ASI and the industry look in 2015. In June 2012, the Wall Street Journal described Norman as the “Sultan of Swag.” It was a breakthrough piece written…

PK Podcast #80 – Part 1 of 2 – Norman Cohn, ASI

Posted on April 22, 2015 by Mark Graham

In this episode of the PromoKitchen Podcast, Chefs Mark Graham and Dale Denham speak with one of the most influential and dynamic people in our industry, Norman Cohn. Norman is the Chairman of the Advertising Specialty Institute, most commonly known as ASI. In June 2012, the Wall Street Journal described…

PK Podcast #79 – Scott McKain

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Mark Graham

In today’s episode, PromoKitchen chefs Mark Graham and Dale Denham are going to take a deep dive into what it takes to deliver “ultimate customer experiences”. In today’s competitive landscape, customer experience is often the key differentiator that separates one company from the next. We know this to be especially true in the promotional products industry where commoditization and price…

PK Podcast #78 – Jim Martin, Kolder | Numo Mfg

Posted on April 8, 2015 by Mark Graham

In this episode of the PromoKitchen Podcast, PK Chefs Mark Graham of CommonSku and Robert Fiveash of Brand Fuel Promotions chat with Jim Martin of Kolder Incorporated. Kolder is the parent company of industry icon Numo Manufacturing. Jim talks to us about what it takes to create a much loved supplier brand, how to compete with a Made in USA…

PK #66 – Chuck Hester

Posted on December 12, 2014 by Mark Graham

Chuck Hester is the Managing Partner of Chuck Hester Enterprises, a marketing and communications firm and the author of the forthcoming book “Social Media for the Rest of Us: A Boomer’s Perspective“. With a foundation of more than 30 years experience in PR, social media, and the art of connecting, Chuck specializes in telling the stories of companies that are…