2020 Promo Campaign Awards
Best Use of Social Media
✶ Winner: Starline (asi/89320)

With Metallica’s Enter Sandman blasting in the background, “King Cool Daddy” exploded into the camera frame. Decked out in a fur coat and bandanna while wearing sunglasses indoors, the

“Bullet with the Mullet” challenged the coronavirus to a wrestling match at SummerSlam. Instead of bringing a steel chair to the ring, the “Beast from the East” vowed to bring a cooler, a Bluetooth speaker and a tumbler.

A promotional products video disguised as an ’80s pro wrestling interview? Oooh yeaaah!

Starline VP of Operations Jon Norris discusses #PromoInTheWild and winning Best Use of Social Media award.

Grand Island, NY-based Starline USA (asi/89320) has spent the coronavirus pandemic producing dozens of eclectic Facebook videos. In addition to Mike Newman, Starline’s Northeast director of sales, giving his best Ric Flair impersonation, there were product videos from the beach, the kitchen and VP of Operations Jon Norris’ bourbon-stocked bar. Mason Lapsker, Starline’s president of Canadian operations, tested the limits of a waterproof speaker by having his wife chuck it in a lake, with Lapsker jumping into the 46-degree water to retrieve it. The Final Countdown was still playing when he emerged.

“During this very difficult time, companies were either going radio silent or trying to connect with clients through non-traditional methods,” says Brian Porter, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Starline. “We wanted to find a way to continually engage with clients in a fun, yet educational way. Facebook was the best platform for us to reach our audience without overstepping boundaries.”

From talk shows to “Tiger King” parodies to bourbon in the basement, Starline engaged clients throughout the pandemic with its assortment of fun Facebook Live videos.

Before the pandemic, the marketing department primarily created and distributed content via the company Facebook page. With everybody under lockdown in their homes, the sales team decided to join the effort. They began hosting a virtual happy hour every Friday to brainstorm video ideas, pulling from the latest pop culture fads. That’s what led to Porter’s portrayal of Tiger King’s Joe Exotic in prison – Starline’s most popular video with over 4,300 views.

“I got to shoot that with my 11-year-old son,” Porter says. “He was very excited and said, ‘I’m going to be a YouTube star.’ It’s been a great way to keep things light and take our minds off everything that’s been happening.”

Having different departments get involved allowed Starline to maintain a sense of camaraderie while everyone worked from home. Employees were able to incorporate their passions and hobbies into the videos, showcasing their personality like never before. Most impressive is the company’s consistency – these videos were posted a few times a week for three months straight.

Porter explains: “As soon as we started to see people react to it, we knew we couldn’t stop. There wasn’t a day that I didn’t hear from a client thanking us so much for still educating and making them laugh. That kept our energy up.”

In addition to the wacky vignettes, Starline also launched a video podcast series: BP&J. Inspired by Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis, Porter and Norris interview promo products industry leaders, such as ASI’s Tim Andrews, Facilisgroup’s Chuck Fandos and other luminaries. “As you can see, it’s not overproduced or scripted,” Porter says. “It’s just a conversation where we can still be ourselves. You get 15-20 minutes with people you may not have gotten prior to the pandemic.”

According to Porter, the ROI is impossible to assess at this time. However, due to the overwhelmingly positive feedback, he and his team feel the Facebook videos have made a difference in the industry. “They’ve helped to keep us engaged and rise above the white noise,” Porter says. “Our re-orders are down from where they were last year, but our new orders are through the roof. This social media campaign has opened the door to real relationships with people who we didn’t have the opportunity to connect with before.”