The Two-Dollar Pen
Why the smallest object on the desk out-earned the entire ad budget.
The Podcast
BEYOND THE Swag
Inside the boardrooms, factories and brand teams where merch is finally being treated as the strategic media channel it has always been.
The real stories behind branded merchandise
The Podcast
BEYOND THE Swag
Inside the boardrooms, factories and brand teams where merch is finally being treated as the strategic media channel it has always been.
The real stories behind branded merchandise
The Real Stories Behind Branded Merchandise
More than logos. More than giveaways.
A business worth listening to.
— About the Show —
Honest conversations with the people building the industry.
Each episode goes beyond the surface to explore the decisions, strategies and hard lessons that shape the branded merchandise world.
Through unfiltered talks with founders, suppliers, distributors, marketers and brand leaders — Beyond the Swag digs into what actually works, what doesn't, and the realities few are willing to discuss.
The Show
Merch is Media
Real Conversations
Unfiltered talks with the operators actually building the industry.
Industry Insights
Hard-won lessons on strategy, margins and what really moves brands.
No-Filter Stories
The wins, losses and realities few in promo are willing to discuss.
About Our Host
About Our Host
Kevin Patrick
Chief Swag Officer
KP Innovations
Founder and Chief Swag Officer of KP Innovations — a premium promotional products and private-label apparel company partnering with brands who want far more than standard logo-driven merchandise.
Kevin's work spans high-end corporate apparel, custom manufacturing, fulfillment and brand-led promotional strategy — serving organizations from regional businesses to nationally recognized names like McLaren, Northwestern Mutual, Chanel and Maserati.
As host of Beyond the Swag, he leads candid, no-filter conversations with the operators actually shaping the industry — digging into what works, what doesn't, and the realities few are willing to discuss.
10+
Years in Branded Merch
500+
Brands Served
8
National Features
Top 100
Apple Podcasts
Did You Know This About Kevin
He's been featured on 10+ national outlets
"Promotional products are wildly undervalued as a marketing strategy. They deserve a seat at the table — from the start. Every episode is a chance to prove it."
— Kevin Patrick
— Credibility —
As Seen On
2025 · Recognition
Insider Weekly Review of the Year
Recognized for raising the bar on transparency and strategy in the promotional products industry.
Top 100 • Apple Podcasts
— Tune In —
Top 100 Podcast On
Apple Podcasts
Listen to Beyond the Swag now
Stream the latest episodes right here — or tap through to your favorite player.
— Be a Guest —
Want to connect with Kevin?
Reach out directly — looking forward to connecting.
Kevin Patrick is the founder of KP Innovations and host of Beyond the Swag, the podcast where promotional products meet brand strategy.
© 2026 Beyond the Swag · All rights reserved
A Two-Dollar Pen Beat a Thousand-Dollar Ad Budget.
In the age of AI, this show is about the human experience it can’t replace.
The Experience Encore Podcast asks a simple question with a hard answer: AI can do almost everything faster and cheaper, cheaper, and hands-off, why does a person still choose you again? For founders, brand builders, and the people who own customer experience.
Customer Experience◆
Brand Loyalty◆
Craftsmanship◆
The Handwritten Note◆
Retention◆
Human Detail◆
Leadership◆
The Encore
Chapter I
About the Show
AI got very good at getting the customer. It Still Can’t keep one.
The human experience AI can’t automate.
AI can now reach a stranger in seconds and close them by Tuesday. Then the renewal doesn't come, and no one can explain why.
The Experience Encore Podcast sits with founders, brand leaders, and the people who own customer experience, the ones who’ve figured out what AI can’t touch: the moment a client feels seen, the small gesture that lands harder than a discount, the reason someone talks about you when you’re not in the room.
Kevin turns those conversations into ideas leaders can use immediately.
Chapter II
Meet the Host
Kevin Patrick.
He owns the job
nobody else wants.
Kevin built his business on the human things AI keeps trying to replace and never quite does: the note that arrives before the invoice, the gift that proves someone was paying attention, the real person on the other end.
He’ll tell you he’s the Chief Swag Officer once he’s earned your trust. Before that, he’s the guy who watched a two-dollar pen beat a thousand-dollar-a-day ad budget and spent years asking why the most human thing in the room is the one people remember.
"AI can automate the sale.
It can’t automate the reason someone comes back."
The Host
Chapter III
Upcoming Episodes
Conversations that stay
long after the sale.
The Renewal Nobody Explains
What happens between the signed contract and the quiet churn.
The Chief Swag Officer
Owning the gestures every operator plans to delegate — and never does.
The Handwritten Rule
Six sentences on ivory paper that outperformed a six-figure campaign.
Loyalty as a Craft
A conversation with a hotelier who has kept the same guests for thirty years.
The Encore
Why the second yes is the only one that actually builds a company.
What Listeners Say
An Invitation
Come Talk About the
One Thing
AI Can’t Copy.
You’ve spent years learning why people come back. Kevin wants that conversation on the record. Thirty minutes, your stories, the moves that actually work. Bring the one that still surprises you.