Red Ball Promotions Featured in ASI Advantages April ’15 Issue
The following is an excerpt from ASI Advantages Magazine April 2015 Edition. Here is a link to the original article.
Aha Moments
Triad Advertising Companies was looking to enhance its client experience when it took the unusual step of creating its own promotional products company, Red Ball Promotions (asi/346567), according to Joe Emerson, co-founder and partner. Red Ball is one of only a few companies affiliated with a full-service advertising agency, according to the company website (www.redballpromotions.com).
Emerson and his two partners set up Red Ball to better serve its clients with products that more accurately reflected brand strategy, combined with marketing and sales goals. It also offered Triad another foot in the door with potential clients.
“We saw a white space that our clients could benefit from,” says Emerson. Having an art department in-house meant that Triad and Red Ball could combine both creative and artistic employees to brainstorm on ideas, he says.
Another plus? Typically in the promotional products industry, orders need to be paid in advance. However, since Red Ball is backed by a successful advertising agency, its clients don’t need to prepay. “That gave us a big advantage,” he says.
Despite Red Ball’s place in the Triad group of companies, the parent treats Red Ball as a completely separate entity. “We call Red Ball a vendor of ours,” Emerson says. We tell them Triad is their number-one client and vice versa. This keeps the emotion out of it and allows for a less personal, more professional relationship.”
Promotional products have been an easy sell to the existing client base. “Our clients realize it’s a seamless process from start to finish,” he says.
Triad welcomes creative input from its employees. The company conducts regular production meetings for brainstorming open to anyone from both entities who wants to attend. “We’re big fans of pizza,” Emerson says. “If someone has an idea, an interest or technology they’re interested in, they can set up a ‘lunch and learn’ to generate conversation.”
