Unequivocally, the thing I’m most excited about coming out of The PPAI Expo 2025 is this undercurrent of trying to make the things we have even better.
It supports our move as an industry to be more sustainable both in product creation and overall longevity. It not only aligns with the consumer trend of balking at overconsumption, but also allows us to be better positioned to compete for marketing dollars that may be directed elsewhere.
We have suppliers who’ve committed to having their entire product offering developed sustainably. We have more attainable cut-and-sew items that don’t get created unless ordered, and they’re fully customizable so they can be more targeted to the recipient. We have more decoration techniques available on more items than ever.
While I came away from The PPAI Expo 2025 with fewer new products I was excited about, I did discover more customization options that I know my clients will be excited to try.
Sarah Whitaker
Owner, The Branded Things
NFC Doubts
Speaking of trends at Expo, I don’t know if NFC (near-field communication) is the wave of the future in promo like it feels it’s trying to be.
- NFC is a short-range wireless connectivity technology that allows users to make transactions and exchange digital content by having two devices touch or be brought within a few centimeters of each other, according to TechTarget.
Considering the conversion tracking that all things digital allow for, I’m all for value-added, worth-proving features. I’ve promoted NFC to clients, and it has this cool factor because it’s tech and it’s newish, but it’s also expensive and its function today must be explained to have value.
- For example, everyone at this point knows and understands what a QR code is.
- As for NFC, I’m afraid an item that needs to be explained to function at its full capability may not have longevity in our world.
We live in a world where items are given without time for explanation, where products are delivered remotely and, in many cases, where branded merch is meant to attract someone. Aside from an event activation using NFC technology, I’m uncertain where NFC tech has a place – at least with many of our client applications – in perpetuity.
We’ve sold an NFC pen, which is really cool for an event. It could contain a call to action to convert right on the spot, but that must be explained before the conversion happens. What happens with that pen from there? Do we continue to get site visits and conversions? As someone who has monitored the results from dynamic QR codes on merch, I hesitate to say it will. And if not given with explanation, I’m not sure people are just tapping items and seeing if they take them to a surprise destination.
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Perhaps someday we’ll get there. Maybe NFC tech will be cheaper, just as common as scanning a QR code and I’ll look back on this piece and laugh at my misunderstanding. (I also hope someone reaches out to me after reading this and educates me where I’m clearly uncertain.)
As a data nerd and marketer, if I had one wish for the promotional products industry, it would be that we do find a more traceable way to track the efficacy of our medium.
I’ll Drink To That
Conversely, you know what I found truly promising at The PPAI Expo 2025? Drinkware colors!
For years, we’ve been a primarily ROYGBIV industry apart from a couple of suppliers who offer a good range of drinkware product colors as their standard. This year, I noticed gorgeous, muted tones and neutrals as standard colorways in drinkware, taking a nod from the retail space.
As we attempt to elevate the branded merchandise investment, we must pay attention to consumer preferences. And, as drinkware specifically continues to have new trending products at what feels like an increasing pace, the speed at which we’ve got to keep up also increases.
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Many of our clients have fun, colorful branding that gets relegated to a white tumbler that allows a PMS match or a full-color imprint. Many of our clients also prefer to lean in to quiet luxury, but when faced with the options, we have a royal blue, a bright red, white and black; we don’t always have that neutral tumbler that has a sleek placement engraving like a retail brand has on its tumblers.
I get it from the supplier perspective – it’s more common and a better bet to have a deep stock of the most common colors. That doesn’t go for just drinkware. But the more we lean in to offering common products (in common colors), the less we’re able to offer niche solutions and prove our product fits in with consumer lifestyles. I’m encouraged by the suppliers who are diversifying their product offerings and decoration methods to give distributors and their customers more choices.
‘Surprise and Delight’
To wrap up all this talk about consumer choice and giving items that make an impact, I saw so many products whose existence is purely to surprise and delight the recipient. At the end of the day, that’s what makes all our jobs so fun and rewarding – getting to be the makers of that enjoyment!
I’m encouraged by what I saw at The PPAI Expo 2025, and I look forward to seeing where our industry grows this year.
Whitaker is the owner of The Branded Things, the promotional products division of Williams Advertising.
