Episode 18. Theresa Hegel

In this episode of The Printerviews, I am joined by Theresa Hegel, Executive Editor for Special Projects and Sustainability at the Advertising Specialty Institute. Theresa has spent 12 years at ASI, built the industry's leading sustainability hub Promo for the Planet, won the Jesse H. Neal Award three times, and co-hosts the Branding Together podcast. Before ASI, she designed front pages under deadline at daily newspapers in Ohio and Pennsylvania. We get into convergence, where print and promo are already overlapping and where the gap still lies. Theresa makes the case that the two industries share more clients, campaigns, and opportunities than most people realise, and that the main barrier is not opportunity but language. We also cover what commercial printers get wrong about moving into promo, starting with the assumption that it requires significant capital investment.  Sustainability takes up a good stretch of the conversation. ASI ran a joint study with European partners and competitor PPAI comparing the carbon footprint of promotional products against five advertising mediums including digital. The headline finding was that promo has an eight times smaller carbon footprint than digital advertising, which surprises most people. Theresa explains why it makes sense, and why the industry needs to be part of that conversation now rather than waiting to be dragged into it.   Key Takeaways   Print and Promo Are Already Converging: The same clients, the same campaigns. The industries are more intertwined than most people realise. No Equipment Needed to Get Into Promo: The promo distribution model runs on consultative sales and supplier relationships, not machinery. Promo Has an Eight Times Smaller Carbon Footprint Than Digital Advertising: The finding from a joint ASI and PPAI study that most people do not expect. Do Not Wait for Clients or Regulation to Force the Conversation: The businesses ahead are building capability now, not waiting for permission. Collaboration Across Competitors Is Possible: ASI ran the carbon study jointly with PPAI — a direct competitor — because sustainability is bigger than any one company. The One-Stop-Shop Opportunity Is Real: Clients do not want to shop separately for print and promo — if you can offer both, the door is already open. Use AI for Transcripts, Not for Writing: Theresa's team use it to surface quotes and save time in interviews — they do not use it to write articles. TikTok Is Worth Watching Even If You Are Not Posting: Trends in branded merch often surface there first — keeping an eye on it gives you a head start on what clients will want.