Interview with Kyle Earing our Quality Manager
FOR BLINK MARKETING, BRAND SAFETY IS THE INTERSECTION OF PRODUCT COMPLIANCE, CONSUMER CONFIDENCE AND BRAND PROMISE – ALL THREE ARE CRITICAL FOR BRAND INTEGRITY
While some in the industry think of themselves as promotional products distributors or perhaps promotional consultants, Blink Marketing considers themselves simply as marketers. Moreover, branded merchandise merely happens to be their medium of choice.
Established in 2002 just outside of Nashville, Tennessee, Blink Marketing’s goal is to provide clients with an all-in approach to promotional marketing that will serve the needs of their brands for years to come. Part of this mandate includes consistently delivering safe, high-quality, socially compliant and environmentally conscientious merchandise.
In this week’s Partners In Brand Safety conversation, we talk with Kyle Earing, senior quality manager, about the considerable work yet to be done industry-wide concerning brand safety and why product compliance, consumer confidence, and brand promise are three critical components in achieving and maintaining brand integrity.
1. WHAT DOES BRAND SAFETY MEAN TO YOU?
Brand safety is the intersection of product compliance, consumer confidence and brand promise. All three components are critical to achieving and maintaining brand integrity. When any one of these elements are lacking, a brand has a significant hurdle to overcome, and brand safety is jeopardized.
2. WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO SEEK OUT DAC AFFILIATION?
Blink Marketing Inc. joined the DAC to serve in a leadership role to assist in driving the promotional product industry toward a standardized quality platform that assists suppliers, aids distributors, benefits clients and serves consumers. Many industry segments have already established and embraced robust quality control standards. The opportunity to help steer the promotional products segment was a natural fit for Blink Marketing Inc. given our position on quality in all that we do.
3. WHAT’S THE BIGGEST MISCONCEPTION END BUYERS HAVE ABOUT PRODUCT SAFETY/COMPLIANCE?
The greatest misconception that we often encounter is that product safety and compliance are one-time activities. Many end users do not realize that ongoing item monitoring and comprehensive process verification is a key aspect of a sound product compliance program.
4. WHAT QUESTION(S) DO YOU WISH END BUYERS WOULD ASK YOU ABOUT PRODUCT SAFETY/COMPLIANCE BUT THEY NEVER DO?
First, do all suppliers and distributors follow a standardized quality assurance scheme? Second, as a brand manager, what concerns should I have when I am sourcing promotional items? 
5. WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST IMPACTFUL THING YOU HAVE LEARNED SINCE JOINING THE DAC?
The promotional products industry has come a long way, but there is considerable work yet to be done. A few suppliers have quickly embraced a commitment to quality, but many have been slow to join the trend set by other industries. QCA offers one such method for a supplier to demonstrate a quality commitment and progress towards enhanced quality standardization within our industry.
