Promotional Item Spending On The Rise

Share on

The next time you look at a media property pen, hat, T-shirt or thumb drive, know that spending to get impressions with merchandise is on the rise...

The U.S. market for promotional products -- tchotchkes used by marketers to promote their brand or reward consumers for using it -- grew 9.31% in 2017, according to estimates released this morning by the Promotional Products Association International (PPA).

The PPA, which has been tracking and reporting industry sales estimates as part of an annual survey going back to 1965, did not say why sales expanded so much in 2017, relative to other recent years, but it noted that online sales of promotional items was among the fastest-growing sectors, jumping 23.2% in 2017.

The PPA said a higher growth from “non-industry providers” also helped boost 2017 spending.

The PPA is a not-for-profit association representing more than 15,000 corporate members in the multibillion-dollar industry, which includes “wearables, writing instruments, calendars, drinkware and many other items, usually imprinted with a company’s name, logo or message.”