What if the biggest branding opportunity your company has is quietly ending up in the trash? 🗑️

Eric and Crissy unpack the hidden emotional, financial, and environmental costs behind the billions spent on promotional products each year. Together they challenge the idea that branded merchandise is just a giveaway, reframing it instead as a powerful people-first experience that can shape trust, loyalty, and identity.

From cultural missteps that lead to wasted budgets to the surprising science behind creating a product someone actually loves, Crissy shares actionable frameworks leaders can use to turn "brand filler" into meaningful brand equity. If you've ever questioned whether swag really matters, this conversation will change how you think about connection, strategy, and the objects that live in people's everyday lives.

Additional Resources:

Learn how to build your strategy to swag!

Connect with Crissy on LinkedIn

Learn more about Robertson Marketing

Connect with Eric on LinkedIn

Subscribe to PFN's YouTube for more insights like this!

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• Promotional waste costs companies nearly six billion dollars annually
• Merchandise should connect emotionally, not just functionally
• Culture shapes how branded products are received globally
• Purpose driven merch creates lasting brand equity
• Measure impact through usage, not just distribution

That branded mug on your desk might be doing more than holding coffee. It could be shaping memory, emotion, and loyalty in ways most leaders never stop to consider.

Eric and Crissy have a fascinating conversation on the psychology behind why some merchandise becomes meaningful while most gets tossed aside. Together, they explore how neuroscience, sensory engagement, and emotional attachment influence whether a simple object turns into a lasting brand connection. From favorite pens and nostalgic mugs to innovative gifting strategies that drive real engagement, Crissy shares practical insights leaders can use to make every branded moment intentional and impactful.

If you have ever wondered how to turn everyday touchpoints into powerful relationship builders, this episode will change how you think about swag, storytelling, and the small details that shape culture.

Additional Resources:

Learn how to build your strategy to swag!

Connect with Crissy on LinkedIn

Learn more about Robertson Marketing

Connect with Eric on LinkedIn

Subscribe to PFN's YouTube for more insights like this!

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn

Learn more about PeopleForward Network

Key Takeaways:

• Emotional connection determines whether branded merchandise is remembered
• Utility increases frequency of use and brand visibility
• Sensory engagement strengthens memory and loyalty
• Choice increases perceived ownership and product value
• Intentional gifting drives measurable engagement and influence

In this episode of Working Forward, Jason Cochran sits down with Wes Bender, Head of Business Development at Admired Leadership, and Mikey Ames, Digital Marketing and Social Media Lead at Admired Leadership, to explore what it takes to build and deploy AI that creates genuine value for organizations. Wes and Mikey share how their firm developed Alex, an AI executive leadership coach grounded in 35 years of behavioral leadership research and why most leaders are getting AI wrong. They break down the difference between AI slop and real value, explain how AI actually works at a fundamental level, and make the case that the most important question isn't whether to use AI, but how to use it to make your people better.

Additional Resources:

Connect with Wes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wesleybender/

Connect with Mikey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeyames/

Watch the Working Forward Podcast on YouTube!

Connect with Jason on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-d-cochran/

Follow PeopleForward Network on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/peopleforward-network/posts/?feedView=all

Learn more about PeopleForward Network: https://peopleforwardnetwork.com/

Key Takeaways:

• Understanding how AI works, specifically next token prediction, is foundational before any leader can effectively deploy or trust it.
• Use AI to make people better, not replace them; organizations that take this approach drive higher adoption and more sustainable outcomes.
• Don't outsource your AI strategy; the values and cultural DNA of your organization need to shape how AI tools are built and trained.
• Starting a conversation with AI by asking "what's the best way to use you?" and providing rich context dramatically improves the quality of responses.
• Watch for skills erosion; AI can take over tasks, but leaders must protect the foundational sub-skills those tasks were quietly building.
• Human moments can't be outsourced; AI is great for preparation and analysis, but the relationships and conversations that build trust must still come from you.