10 minutes with Rod Duncan MD of Prodir Chairman of Promota

As announced in the January Promo newsletter, we will be publishing quarterly interviews with the movers and shakers in the promotions industry. Called 10 minutes with these features will offer a snapshot of the chosen persons career and their thoughts on the industry. We will also feature just one little thing about them that their colleagues in the promotions world would be surprised to hear.

First to be put under the spotlight is Rod Duncan, well known in the industry as both Managing Director of Prodir and also currently Chairman of trade association, Promota.

A. Would you believe that promotional pens had been around since Roman times? So there have been quite a few changes in technology since then. Im told the Romans used to carve the wood that held the lead they wrote with. That carving gave a sign about the user, or recipient, of the pen, if it was a gift. But back to more modern times, the biggest innovation has got to be the inexpensive ball pen.

Other changes are in the service side where the pressures of industry today dictate incredibly short lead times with customers demanding what amounts to almost instant delivery. Also 10 or 15 years ago the industry was not driven by price, as it is today. I can understand a promoter wanting a cost-effective promotion, but you have to ask yourself .. what works harder for your brand? 10,000 pens that dont work two days after they have been distributed or 5,000 quality pens that go on being used day after day? So making a decision simply on price isnt always the sensible option.

A. Changes in communications technology have resulted in the industry moving really fast. The whole structure of the industry is changing, with many distributors importing directly from the Far East and cutting out the knowledgeable importers not always a smart move! Importers not only have product knowledge, they also understand the logistics side of the operation. A few clicks of a mouse might order you a variety of products, but getting them through customs and delivered on time is another matter entirely and this can lead to problems for the end user in the long run. There are lots of people coming into the industry who have no grounding and see it as any easy way of making money, but its not.

I always look forward to the Promota show, which we value as a way to promote Prodir and its products to the distributors. Being a members-only show, the Promota event gives me access to a large number of high-powered pro-active customers over a few days. It would take me weeks out on the road to get around to see that many customers and they dont always have the time to see you. But you have got to work at promoting the company at a show like this. You cant just walk up, spread out your products and chat to passers by. Theres a lot of preparation by myself and the team, here at the office, to ensure we have the right products, displays, literature and the right attitude to go out there and make the connections that will eventually turn into lucrative business.

A. I dont dislike anything about my job. Theres always the old saying that it would all be easier if it wasnt for the customers but in truth, I enjoy a challenge and fulfilling the requirements of a demanding customer is very satisfying.

A. I first worked for Berol (which is now Sanford) as National Sales Manager on the commercial and retail side. I was then asked to set up a Special Product Sales Division within Berol, dealing with own label products and speciality pens. That was 26 years ago.

We produced branded pens for major retailers and also for the British Airports Authority, which were a bright yellow with black print to match their signage at the time. The first major end-user order we received was a two-colour print, the first we had ever done, for Fuji Film who had a requirement for an ultra-violet, reactive pen to mark photographic equipment and was supplied through Procurement International who were our biggest customer for that product. My contact in those days was Vic Rosewell as Ian was only about ten at the time.

The next big job was for Chat magazine for a staggering 1million pens, which in those days was a huge order for an own brand product. Come to think of it, even today 1million pens is quite a sizeable chunk of business.

Having been with Berol for about 13 years, I was approached by Prodir based in Switzerland to set up a sales and marketing operation in the UK. The catalyst for this was the fact that Prodir had taken the decision to open their own sales and marketing operations in various parts of the world, rather than dealing through selected distributors. At that time, Prodir was a relatively unknown brand in the UK and produced only two models, and, as the saying goes, you could have any colour you wanted . as long as it was white! Thats a far cry from the story today where we have seven different designs and thousands of colour combinations of barrel, cap and clip.

A. One thing that might surprise your readers is that I play tennis and also ski. I dont think Im perceived as the sporty type!

Interview by Carole Bull, Editor.

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