👋 Welcome back to This Week in Print-on-Demand Episode #68, where swag meets culture.

NEWS & NUGGETS: A DASH OF INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

🎨 Fable is POD gifting with main-character energy: If you’ve ever thought, “I wish I could turn a personal moment into something frame-worthy,” Fable is basically that impulse, productized. It takes a beloved companion and reimagines them through Surrealium’s art world, then turns it into an archival print you can collect (or gift). Source.

💼 Candidates are not reading your origin story: Job seekers are skimming for the good stuff, and employers keep missing the mark. An Indeed survey found 65% of employers revised a job description after the first try, often because they got too many unqualified applicants (42%) or not enough candidates (21%). If your posting feels like a manifesto, you may be missing the mark. Source.

🗓️ POD Conference week is here: The Print on Demand Conference 2026 schedule is live, packed with sessions on the future of merch. On Wednesday, Feb 18, Ross will be speaking on how the industry can work together to create a better user experience for companies and individuals who order swag. Here’s the schedule link.

🎓 Gartner’s HR transformation webinar: If you’re in your “we have 12 HR tools and still no clarity” era, Gartner has a live session on Feb 24: “To Lead a Successful HR Transformation, A Good Process is Not Enough.” The spicy stat floating around the HBR/Gartner convo is that only 1 in 50 AI investments becomes truly transformational, and only 1 in 5 shows measurable ROI. Check it out here.

🌱 Merch can be lower-carbon than digital: A new third-party study commissioned by PPAI and ASI argues the quiet part out loud: promotional products are among the most carbon-efficient options versus several other ad channels, and the study says promo’s carbon impact per memorized impression is eight times smaller than digital. If you’ve ever had to defend “physical swag” in a sustainability meeting, this is the citation you keep in your back pocket. Source.

🚿 Recruitment Marketing Shower Thought: If your employees will wear a hoodie with your logo to the grocery store but would never share your job posting with a friend, your merch strategy might be stronger than your recruiting strategy.

🎉 Giveaway Winner Alert: Shout-out to the winners from last week, Christine Crooks and Yvonne Ceballos, who scored the Massage Gun Lite from TwinTech. We’ve got another giveaway below!

WEEKLY POLL + GIVEAWAY

Giveaway Alert: Nomad Laptop Sleeve with Wireless Charging Station and Mouse Pad

Meet the desk upgrade you did not know you needed. The Nomad Laptop Sleeve is not just a sleeve; it transforms into a full desk setup with a built-in mousepad and dual wireless charger for your phone and earbuds, all wrapped in sleek vegan leather with a soft quilted interior. Magnetic closure, smooth surface, maximum protection, and zero clutter. It is basically your entire workspace, zipped up and ready to travel.

Details:

• Several lucky readers will score a Laptop Sleeve custom-branded with their company logo.

• Winner announced in next week’s newsletter.

👉 To enter, just answer this week’s poll below.

CLIENT SPOTLIGHT

🤝 Meet Patch My PC

If you’ve ever lived the “why is this app still outdated?” IT life, Patch My PC is built for you. They focus on automating third-party patch management inside Microsoft ConfigMgr and Intune, with a very clear promise: fewer patching headaches, more control, and less manual busywork. They also back it with being trusted by thousands of enterprises across millions of endpoints.

📣 Our Collaboration

The Patch My PC Store flows into clean, easy-to-shop categories like apparel, bags, tech, drinkware, and events, making it simple for customers and employees to grab something they will actually use, without clutter or endless scrolling.

Behind that smooth experience is the Brand Sauce magic. We handle the web development, product sourcing, decoration, inventory, and on-demand fulfillment, so nothing piles up in a storage closet and no one is stuck shipping boxes at 4 pm on a Friday. Orders go out as they are placed. Zero bulk headaches. Zero operational drama. The result is a store that feels effortless on the surface and powerful underneath, giving Patch My PC a merch experience that scales as cleanly as their software does.

🤝 Connect With Patch My PC

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

Full Circle

Do you play pickleball?

Some say it’s the fastest-growing sport in America. Others say it’s padel. I’ll leave that debate to the racket sports crowd.

What I do know is this: sports have a funny way of bringing you back to where you started.

I grew up on a tennis court. Long afternoons. Early mornings. Hitting balls until the sun went down. I worked my way into becoming a solid junior player and eventually earned the chance to play at the University of Florida. Tennis shaped me, not just as an athlete, but as a person. It taught me discipline, resilience, and how to compete without losing perspective.

Years later, life had moved on. Business, family, responsibilities. Then one of my college teammates, Ryan Sherry, who played a huge role in helping pickleball become what it is today, told me I needed to try it.

Around the same time, Madison picked up a paddle and fell in love with the game. And just like that, at 40 years old, I found myself back in tournaments again, competing, learning, feeling that spark.

I didn’t expect that chapter to open again.

And I definitely didn’t expect the next one.

Six months ago, a 9th grader named Julie Liu and her family asked if I would help her train. Julie is already one of the best 14-year-old pickleball players in the world. We practice four times a month. She works harder than anyone I know. She listens. She adjusts. She shows up ready.

Coaching her has reminded me why I fell in love with sports in the first place.

If you’re wondering what we’ve been working on, it isn’t flashy.

It’s consistency.

Every time we hit a ball, in pickleball, tennis, or padel, there’s a target. Sometimes we’re aware of it. Sometimes we’re not. As Julie’s targets have gotten bigger and clearer, her game has become steadier. More reliable. More mature.

When we first started training, I shared something my dad told me when I was 10 years old:

“If you hit the ball in the net, you can’t win the point.”

It’s simple. Almost too simple. But the older I get, the more I realize how much wisdom lives in simple truths.

In sports. In business. In life.

Don’t beat yourself. Don’t force the impossible shot. Aim clearly. Stay consistent. Give yourself a chance to win the point.

Julie’s dream is to turn pro when she turns 18. We have three and a half years to prepare for that moment. I don’t know exactly what that journey will look like, but I do know this: being trusted to be part of it is something I don’t take lightly.

Sometimes the most meaningful chapters aren’t the ones where you’re competing, they’re the ones where you’re guiding someone else through it.

And in a lot of ways, this feels like coming full circle.

If you play tennis, pickleball, or padel, Coach Ross is always here.

But more importantly, if you’re building something meaningful, whether it’s a game or a brand, remember:

Pick a clear target.

Stay consistent.

And keep the ball out of the net.

👥 Connect on Social Media

Not following Ross & Brand Sauce on social media yet? Let’s change that. Click the links below to stay connected for fresh ideas, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive updates 👇

• Ross’s LinkedIn

• BrandSauce LinkedIn

• BrandSauce YouTube Channel

⏪ Previous Episodes

In Print-on-Demand | EP #67, we connected the dots between culture, commerce, and a little Super Bowl chaos. From planning ahead for Employee Appreciation Day and smarter company store strategies to $10M ad slots and MrBeast’s $1M giveaway moment, this edition explored how brands are investing in attention and recognition. We also spotlighted Janux Therapeutics’ on-demand store, teed up POD Conference 2026, and asked a simple question: what if swag actually made work better?

 In Print-on-Demand | EP #66, we explored how brands are showing appreciation, scaling swag smartly, and leaning into culture-building moments. From Employee Appreciation Day prep and the NFL’s crossover merch drop to mega indoor golf news and global hiring trends, this edition covered what’s making noise (and impact). Plus: a peek into our Swag Masterclass, the latest from PPAI, and how Anika Systems is leveling up with their own branded store.

In Print-on-Demand | EP #65, we zoomed in on what’s quietly shifting across merch, HR, and macro trends. From U.S. trade programs and 4imprint’s latest numbers to the hidden costs of hybrid work and what Gen Z actually wants from recognition, we broke down the data behind the swag. Plus, we spotlighted Kniesels’ values-driven company culture and gave away a recycled backpack that’s as functional as it is ocean-friendly.

In Print-on-Demand | EP #64, we unpacked how change is showing up across HR, hiring, and swag. From AI-generated candidates and tariff ripple effects to eco-forward merch and standout moments from the PPAI show floor, this episode focused on what’s shifting and why it matters. We also spotlighted how brands like CareerPlug are using thoughtful swag to build culture, and asked where sustainability really fits in.

THAT’S A WRAP

That’s everything worth knowing this week in promo land.

Until next time, stay saucy! 👋

– Ross & the Brand Sauce Team

© 2025 On Demand Global, LLC, DBA Brand Sauce