Essential to every brand, promotional products – often referred to as merch, swag, promo, or advertising specialties – are customized items given to clients, employees, business partners, and others. Organizations and influencers typically imprint their logos and messaging on physical items ranging from furniture to apparel, drinkware, pens, awards, and everything in between as a means of advertising, building communities, and enhancing brand standing.

Supplier firms produce or process products offered for sale through promotional products distributors. There are more than 3,500 supplier companies in the promotional products industry.

Distributors act as independent agents and sell products to their clients. There are more than 30,000 distributor firms in the industry.

More than 14,000 distributors and suppliers are members of Promotional Products Association International (PPAI).

A promotional products company that manufactures, imports, converts, imprints or otherwise produces or processes promotional products offered for sale through promotional products distributors.

In the promotional products industry, a distributor develops ideas for using promotional products in a marketing or promotional campaign, buys the items from the supplier and sells them to end buyers.

Since promotional products can be used alone, or integrated with other media, there are virtually limitless ways to use them. Popular programs cited most often by industry counselors (called distributors) are business gifts, employee recognition and reward, orientation programs, corporate communications, and at tradeshows to generate booth traffic. They're also effective for dealer/distribution programs, co-op programs, company stores, generating new customers or new accounts, nonprofit fundraising, public awareness campaigns and for promotion of brand awareness and brand loyalty. Other uses include employee incentive programs, new product or service introduction and marketing research for survey and focus group participants.

There are tens of thousands of different types and styles of promotional products. In many cases, it's even possible to obtain custom items that aren't found in any catalog. Examples of common items include: pens, calendars, t-shirts, caps, coffee mugs, calculators, key chains, desk accessories and bumper stickers.

Of the $22 billion spent in 2021 on promotional products, the most popular was wearables/apparel. Click here to see the summary sheet.

Contact the PPAI Membership Department by phone 888-I-AM-PPAI (426-7724), e-mail PPAI Membership, or visit the Why Join section of the website.