Lawsuits, scams, celebrity pairings, collective sales success – these were among the topics covered in ASI Media news articles that generated the most views from readers in what was a busy and complicated 2023 for the industry. Here’s a look at the ASI Media Top 10 news stories.

1

MLB Jerseys To Feature Corporate Sponsor Logos for First Time

This story was a home run with readers – unoriginal pun intended. Reported in February, the article detailed how Major League Baseball, for the first time ever, was going to allow its 30 teams to place the logos of a paying sponsor/advertiser on the sleeve of players’ jerseys in the form of a patch for the 2023 season (and beyond). A bit of spring/baseball fever in the depths of winter perhaps helped drive engagement with a story centered on high-profile apparel branding.

2

Kanye West Reportedly Taps Dov Charney To Be CEO of Yeezy

Where Dov Charney and Ye go, headlines follow. The gist of the piece was that Charney was reportedly going to become chief executive officer of Yeezy, a fashion brand from rapper/designer Kanye West, who now goes by Ye. Counselor’s 2004 Person of the Year, Charney was once one of promo’s most high profile executives – though a controversial one. He’s mostly out of the industry limelight at the moment, but clearly still draws interest from promo pros – and one of the world’s biggest celebrities.

3

Baltimore Glassware Decorators Has Closed

The sad news of this Maryland-based supplier’s shuttering resonated with readers. Founded in the late 1970s, Baltimore Glassware Decorators had specialized in embellishing drinkware like mugs and beer, wine and tiki style glasses.

4

‘Greenwashing’ Lawsuit Against Nike Claims Recycled Polyester Apparel Isn’t Sustainable

Published in July, this articled focused on a proposed class action lawsuit that accused Nike of greenwashing in marketing claims related to its sustainability collection, arguing in part that recycled polyester and recycled nylon used in some of the products aren’t actually sustainable materials and thus can’t be marketed or advertised as such. That assertion caught promo’s attention: If substantiated by the courts, the determination would have the potential to affect sustainability narratives that marketers create around products containing recycled polyester and nylon, including apparel sold in the promo market. Nike filed a motion to dismiss the case, but as of this writing there hadn’t been a ruling.

5

Distributor Warns of Sophisticated $170K Scam Attempt

The number of cons that crooks have advanced against promo distributors have grown in frequency and sophistication. In recent years, ASI Media has reported extensively on the unfortunate phenomenon. This particular cautionary tale hit home with readers. It involved an industry veteran of nearly 30 years going beat-by-beat through a scam that had such a strong veneer of validity that it nearly snared him, despite his decades of experience.

6

Merch Firm Fanjoy Files for Bankruptcy, Owes Over $1M to Suppliers and Screen Printers

Published in August, this article told the story of how Fanjoy filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, while collectively owing some industry companies more than $1 million. Fanjoy’s business model centers on delivering e-commerce-driven branded merchandise solutions to online influencers/creators, but the firm fell on hard times. Creditors included Top 40 supplier S&S Activewear (asi/84358), Top 40 supplier alphabroder (asi/34063) and Lane Seven Apparel (asi/66246).

CircleUp Credit Advisors, a secured creditor of Fanjoy, challenged the Chapter 11 bankruptcy, saying in part that the court should dismiss it because it was filed in a “bad faith” attempt to prevent a sale of Fanjoy. The motion to dismiss was denied, court records show.

7

Small-Town Virginia Printer Makes Official Merch for ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’ Singer Oliver Anthony

This has to be one of the better feel-good stories of the year in promo. Oliver Anthony, a working class Virginia singer/songwriter, went from total obscurity to having the number-one song in the United States, virtually overnight. Despite the meteoric rise, Anthony didn’t ditch the small-town screen printer – his neighbor Anthony DeMarco – who’d been creating his merch. Anthony stuck with DeMarco – a move much in keep with the blue-collar country ethos of the artist’s music.

8

Lahaina Distributor Picks Up the Pieces After Devastating Wildfires

Tragically, promo professionals were among the people impacted by the catastrophic wildfires that tore through Maui over the summer. This powerful piece shared the experience of Williams & Associates (asi/360450), the Counselor 2016 Distributor Family Business of the Year, which operates a location in Lahaina, the worst-hit community on the island.

9

Distributor Sales in 2022 Match Pre-Pandemic Record

Driven by a return of events, strong demand and inflation-fueled pricing, distributors collectively increased annual sales in 2022 by 11.4% to $25.8 billion, ASI Research released at the outset of 2023 showed. That matched the highest ever tally, which occurred in 2019, the last pre-pandemic year. The feel-good news had readers vibing, and many were eager to delve into the details of the success.

10

Alphabroder Suing Company Formerly Known as Teespring for $633K

Another spicy legal battle got promo’s attention. Top 40 supplier alphabroder (asi/34063) filed this lawsuit, alleging that the entity previously known as Teespring and the new firm that owns the brand owes alphabroder $633,172 in unpaid invoices for products provided.

Teespring was an online platform where people could create custom designs to be placed on stock products like T-shirts and hoodies, which could then be marketed and sold. Teespring would do the fulfillment. Still, the firm faced controversies over the years and business struggled. Toward the end of 2022, Amaze Holding Company, a subsidiary of Amaze Software Inc., acquired an undisclosed amount of Spring’s assets. As of this writing, the case was ongoing, with alphabroder still in search of its six figures, according to court records.