Welcome back to This Week in Print-on-Demand Presented by Brand Sauce, your go-to spot for the latest in swag, employee recognition, and workplace trends.

This week, we’re diving into everything from promo sales shifts to new research on employee retention. Plus, we’ve got a Cracker Barrel rebrand mishap, a quirky “holiday” you probably didn’t celebrate, and a poll that’ll put you right in the middle of college football season.

Let’s get into it!

NEWS & NUGGETS: A DASH OF INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

📉 Promo sales dip: Q2 2025 saw U.S. promo-product distributor sales fall 3.2% (thanks to tariff worries and project delays). The flip side? Most execs expect those stalled projects to get back on track later in the year. Read more here.

🏢 Jobs stick: Despite the doom-and-gloom, 73% of U.S. workers plan to stay put in 2025. Top retention factors? Flexibility (37%) and a strong company culture (33%). Read more here.

🧐 Yesterday Was… Slinky Day: Today I learned that the national holiday yesterday was Slinky Day. Yes, you heard me right, Slinky Day. It has me wondering: what does it actually take to get something officially designated as a holiday? If anyone finds the application form, let us know…we’ve got a few swag-worthy ideas up our sleeve.

 🎉 Giveaway Winner Alert: Shout-out to all 25 winners from last week. Everyone who participated in the weekly poll walked away a winner. P.S. If you haven’t seen our notification yet, please check your promotions, junk, or updates folder. Giveaway emails and other notifications are now being sent from a new email address.

🚨 Cracker Barrel Saga Part 2: Cracker Barrel’s 1977 logo became public enemy #1 this past week. The chain rolled out a new text-only logo in mid-August only to scrap it a few days later. Their CEO is currently under pressure to resign.

WEEKLY POLL + GIVEAWAY

🔊 Giveaway Alert: RUPT SKOWELL Backpack

This week we’re giving away a Rupt Skowell 18L Backpack (sustainable bamboo fabric, memory foam back panel, and overall super comfy).

The lucky winner gets it branded with your logo. Runners-up score a surprise college football swag pack. (Shhh, we’re not so secretly hyped for kickoff too!)

👉 To enter the RUPT SKOWELL Backpack giveaway, answer the poll below.

📊 Poll of the Week

SWAG INSIDERS

💸 If it Doesn’t Make Dollars, it Doesn’t Make Cents

People ask us all the time how we compare to 4imprint on pricing. They are widely known as the lowest cost option, but the reality is we beat them on both price and flexibility.

Our secret sauce is automation and strong supplier relationships. We built a tech platform that reduces manual costs and secured partnerships that give our clients the best rates in the industry.

We are putting together a full pricing model to share with you in the coming weeks

🚨 Spoiler alert: we come in lower on cost and deliver with no minimums. Bulk pricing without the bulk order.

CLIENT SPOTLIGHT

 🤝 Meet Hollywood Beach Golf Club

This legendary 18-hole course in Hollywood, FL has been a community cornerstone since 1924. Picture old-Florida charm: live oaks, narrow fairways, water hazards – paired with a welcoming, family-friendly vibe. Whether you’re a scratch golfer or a weekend duffer, Hollywood Beach GC delivers. Currently undergoing a top-to-bottom renovation (reopening in 2026), the club remains committed to great service and classic style.

📣 Our Collaboration

We partnered with Hollywood Beach Golf to launch their custom swag store, stocked with premium gear that members actually want. To celebrate their reopening, the club rolled out exclusive incentives: all new members received 25% off their first swag order, and a referral program rewarded members with $100 in store credit + free shipping for every new member they brought in. These programs not only boost engagement but also turn swag into a driver of loyalty and referrals.

👉 If your business has a membership or referral program, let’s chat about how Brand Sauce can help you create a similar setup that excites your community and grows your brand.

🤝 Connect With Hollywood Beach Golf Club

Shoot me a note at [email protected] to get connected with the team.

WEEKEND UPDATE

Around the Water Cooler With Ross AKA The P.O.D. Guy

Last week, I attended an industry show. On the surface, these gatherings are about booths, products, and suppliers, but for me, they’ve always been about something deeper: people and progress.

One moment that stood out came from a conversation with my friends at Twin Tech. For eight years, I’ve been asking them for two things: to offer us a minimum of one of their products and to create an API so we could connect directly. At this show, I finally heard the words I’d been waiting for. Both are now official. It was a reminder that persistence, partnership, and trust really do pay off.

That’s what makes these events so meaningful. Yes, it’s exciting to walk the floor and see what’s new. With more than 1,000,000 products in the Brand Sauce app, and countless new ones every day, it’s impossible to keep up without experiencing them firsthand. Touching, feeling, and seeing the quality in person matters.

But what matters most are the relationships. Every handshake, every smile, every conversation reinforces why I do this work. In a world that pushes us behind screens, I believe showing up in real life, face to face, is more important than ever.

Check out Twintech’s one-piece minimum products here.

To our suppliers, manufacturers, decorators, and partners: thank you. Without you, Brand Sauce wouldn’t exist. The stories that are told through branded merchandise, the memories created, and the connections sparked are only possible because of your hard work.

It’s not just about swag. It’s about connection. It’s about storytelling. And it’s about celebrating the people who make it all possible.

THAT’S A WRAP

And that’s your weekly serving of swag insights. We hope this edition has sparked some inspiration. Got questions or want a demo of our platform? Just hit reply and let’s chat!

Until next time, stay saucy! 👋

– Ross & the Brand Sauce Team

© 2025 On Demand Global, LLC, DBA Brand Sauce