In this live interview, host Adrienne Barker (MAS) welcomes Swire Ho, founder of Garuda Promo, to discuss the promotional products industry. Swire defines promotional products as strategic tools that create tangible brand touchpoints, fostering customer loyalty in a noisy market. Through a playful skit, they illustrate how recipients thank a branded item (like a glass) but ignore traditional ads, highlighting the unique gratitude elicited by physical giveaways. Swire explains the origin of his company name, Garuda, derived from the yoga pose Garuda Asana, and shares his 15‑year experience in the field. He outlines his approach to trade shows and networking, attending industry events such as BPAI and business groups like BNI to build relationships and generate leads. Adrienne adds a personal anecdote about securing a six‑figure deal from a single BNI meeting by showcasing a promotional item, underscoring the tangible ROI possible with well‑executed promo strategies.
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Welcome, welcome. I'm so excited. Okay, so why am I excited? Because we're talking about promotional products, logo merchandise, and I'm wearing the CreatiCon hat, which I will be at in February. And let me tell you, Swire, it's amazing. So with me today is Swire Ho, and let me tell you, when I found out that Swire is in the promo products industry, I was like, yes, because I cannot wait for us to meet Swire and learn about like his take on the industry and who he sells to. But Swire is going to introduce himself, which I'm very excited about. So, but I want to say 3 things I have to say that matches with my book, right? Swire is brave.
He's bold.
Oh, there's a 4-1 for him. He's brave, bold, brilliant, and almost bald. Yay.
That's a great introduction. Thank you, Adrienne.
I'm almost bald too, so I'm kind of scared about it. Okay, so we are live. I am so excited. Tell us about— first of all, you're going to have to introduce yourself and then explain to us what promotional products is.
Thank you, Adrian. So, uh, thank you for the introduction again. My name is Swire with Garuda Promo. Uh, we're in the promotional product industry. You know, a lot of people, when they think of our industry, they think of the word SWAG, which stands for stuff we all get. That's actually a word that I don't use. I believe that promotional product, if do it properly, can be a way to grow your business, to build loyalty with your customer. And then in the noisy world that we have today, your business outreach, you can actually strategically add promotional product into it to create another touchpoint. Love to, and hopefully I am able to answer all the questions that you have and make this interesting episode.
I love that. I love that. One of the things I learned from— oh my God, I'm trying to remember. Oh, Ron Bell. No, no, I forgot his name now. Anyways, one of the things I learned, and I used to do this when I was in like a BNI event, is let's just say this glass had my logo on it. Okay, this glass has my logo on it. This is my favorite thing to show off promotional products. And I say, Swire, come on up. Swire, I'd like to give you this beautiful glass with my logo on it.
And Swire says, uh, uh, okay, thank you. Like, you'll be nice, you'll be nice and take it, but then I see what you're saying, but you're not connected to the item. Like, you'll probably be nice enough to take it, uh, and I have people also be direct enough say I don't want it.
So, so here's, so here's the thing. So you say thank you to me, yeah, and I say, I say, wait, so I said, Swire, you're thanking me for giving you a glass with my logo on it. And you say, yes, yes, yes. And I say, I say, Swire, wait, do you think when you see an ad on the TV, do you say thank you for that ad? And you would say, I'll skip as soon as I can. And then I, this is kind of like the skit. And then it's like, wait, do you say thank you when you pass a billboard? Do you say 'Thank you for that billboard. I really appreciate it.' No. Do you say thank you to that radio? 'Oh my God, I love that jingle. Thank you, radio station.' No. But you're thanking me for giving you a glass or a mug with my logo on it. And you say yes. And I say, that is the power of promo, right?
Yeah, it's special.
It really is. I mean, I love that about promotional products is that fact that that relationship is formed and people really do appreciate the logos. I mean, it's crazy, right? How many pens that have crossed our lives with an imprint. So how do you work? First, tell us about the company name, because I am really curious about the history of the name.
Okay. Garuda, where I used to do a lot of yoga. So we actually came from a yoga pose called Garuda Asana. So I think it's kind of cool and, you know, it is a good conversation starter. So end up sticking with the name.
So is it pronounced like a G or a K? A G. So Garuda.
Garuda.
Oh, it's a hard G. It's a hard G. Garuda. Yeah. I mean, hey, it's your name and it's a story behind it. And I love that. How long have you been in the industry?
About 15 years now. It's been a little bit.
I love it. Okay, now what shows do you go to?
BPAI, you know, local ones, and for— I love networking. So not only for the industry trade show we go to, also go to a lot of business networking, especially shows that I know my prospects are going to be at. I love to go to those shows just to show my face, create some connection, you know, build on my existing relationship.
Yeah, that's really the thing. I used to go to a BNI meeting every Thursday, and if you were late, you'd get in trouble too. They were just crazy. But every, every week I would show something new, and one of the items I showed connected, and it, it, it was a lot of money. It was a great business, over six-figure business that I got out of just one BNI meeting. But you never know, I could have missed that meeting that day and all of that. So, you know,
