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Articles by Promo Insiders
Promo Insiders Deep Dive: What the Midterm Elections Mean for You
The 2026 midterm elections are just days away. On Tuesday, voters will head to the polls and cast their ballots to determine which politicians will fill all 435 seats in the House of Representatives, and the 35 Senate seats up for election. The results could have several implications for business owners and promo companies, and play a role in shaping policy around tariffs, healthcare costs, petroleum prices and other key issues.
Promo Insiders: Breaking Down Promo’s Q3 Growth, Cost Pressures & What’s Next
The promo industry grew sales 3.4% in the third quarter, even as that growth was unevenly spread across distributor sizes and economic or supply chain difficulties continued to mount. “It feels like it’s just stacking,” said Nate Kucsma, ASI’s senior executive director of research. “It’s stacking challenges.” “A lot of the distributors I spoke with said, ‘Tariffs are old news – now we’re concerned about freight delays and oil prices,’” added Tara Lerman, Counselor’s digital news editor.
Promo Insiders: Crafting a Tequila Powerhouse With Juan Jose Sánchez
Creativity, determination and a passion for craft spirits propelled Clase Azul México from a dream to a reality. Juan Jose Sánchez, co-founder of the premium tequila company and a keynote speaker at the 2026 ASI Power Summit, successfully built the brand with discipline and a vision; Sánchez had long appreciated the art of tequila production in his native country of Mexico.
Promo Insiders: Highlights & Takeaways From PRINTING United Expo
Fresh from the PRINTING United Expo in Las Vegas, editors Theresa Hegel and Brendan Menapace break down the trends, technologies and ideas that stood out on the show floor. They discuss the return to a more balanced mix of decoration methods, elevated apparel and promo trends, innovations in packaging and signage, and what the new ASI Pavilion revealed about the continued convergence of the print and promotional products industries.
Promo Insiders: Mary Kelly Discusses State of the Economy Ahead of Q4
Current data shows that the economy is actually doing quite well. But the reality among consumers feels very different, and that affects spending decisions. Dr. Mary Kelly, an internationally renowned economist, U.S. Navy veteran and CEO of Productive Leaders, said high costs due to inflation, trade conflict with countries like Canada and slow wage growth are putting the squeeze on budgets. In the meantime, the Middle East, China and Russia continue to pose a concern for North America and Europe.
Promo Insiders: Isar Meitis on Going From AI Slop to AI Magic
AI has changed dramatically in just the last few years, evolving from a tool that helps people complete individual tasks into something capable of managing entire workflows. But many companies aren’t yet taking full advantage of the technology.
Promo Insiders: Exploring the Brain-Body Connection With Neurophysiologist Louisa Nicola
For many medical professionals, the path to success is relatively clear: Go to school, complete a residency or rotational program, then ultimately get a job at a hospital system or private practice. But Louisa Nicola is not like most medical professionals. Trained as a neurophysiologist, Nicola now uses her medical background to help Fortune 500 CEOs, Wall Street portfolio managers and elite athletes understand their brains’ potential.
Promo Insiders: The Importance of Human Connection in the Age of AI
AI is a powerful technology, but in communication and sales, it should be used with caution. That’s the message from Dr. Ryan Sauers, president and founder of Sauers Consulting Strategies, who says that overreliance on AI tools can have a negative effect as distributors and suppliers build relationships with prospects and clients. “Grok, Gemini, Claude and ChatGPT are only going to get better and better and better,” said Sauers on the Promo Insiders podcast.
Promo Insiders: Josh Militello on Leading PCNA Into Its Next Chapter
As a newcomer to the industry, Josh Militello, the recently installed CEO of Counselor Top 40 supplier PCNA (asi/66887), has been struck by the sheer intricacy of promotional products, from manufacturing, to decoration, to distribution and delivery. Militello is no stranger to consumer products and branded goods – most recently, he was the president of Dometic Mobile Cooling, where he led the Dometic, Igloo and Cool Gear brands.
Promo Insiders Deep Dive: The Growing Threat of Natural Disasters
Bad things can happen to good people. It’s something Alicia Johnson, the CEO and founder of emergency preparedness consultancy Two Lynchpin Road, has to remind her clients often. “We need to acknowledge that [disasters] are happening in communities like ours, and they can touch us too,” she says.
Promo Insiders: Revealing Trends From the 2026 Counselor State of the Industry Report
Before its annual release each summer, the Counselor State of the Industry report takes months to prepare, starting with surveys of hundreds of suppliers and distributors. For the ASI Research and editorial teams, there’s always a sense of the unknown, especially in a complicated year like 2025 when industry sales lagged and tariffs were the dominant story.
Promo Insiders: The Data Behind Promo’s Uneven Second Quarter
Amid continued inflation and other business pressures, the promo industry accelerated to 2.5% year-over-year growth in the second quarter. For Nate Kucsma, ASI’s senior executive director of research, that finding is a sign the industry is starting to push through some of the challenges it has faced over the past year – though the path to a strong upward trajectory is far from clear. “The promo market as a whole doesn’t necessarily need good news or bad news to thrive, right?” Kucsma said.
Promo Insiders: Our Print & Promo Takeaways From the 2026 FIFA World Cup
As soccer fans anxiously await the final matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, print and promotional products have already proven to be clear winners at the games. From team apparel and brand activations to signage and product giveaways, it’s hard to miss how brands have embedded these items into nearly every element of this year’s games.
Tim Andrews & Dave Leskusky Dish on Why PRINTING United Expo Is the Place To Be for Promo
PRINTING United Expo, the massive annual trade show for the printing industry, is rapidly approaching. Set for Oct. 22 to 24 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, the event encompasses 1 million square feet and more than 800 exhibitors, showcasing every type of printing application. It’s an ideal space for both suppliers and distributors in the promotional products industry to explore the latest imprinting technology and gain invaluable expertise.
The Most Intriguing Findings From the Counselor 2025 State of the Industry Report
To produce the annual Counselor State of the Industry report, ASI Research surveys hundreds of distributors and suppliers to gather a detailed picture of their sales and business performance. While the report is usually based on a single comprehensive survey, 2025 required a nearly unprecedented approach: issuing several additional surveys throughout the year. Why?
Hit Promo & iClick CEOs Share Story Behind Partnership
Earlier this week, Florida-headquartered Counselor Top 40 supplier Hit Promotional Products (asi/61125) announced that it had entered into a strategic partnership with Seattle-based supplier iClick (asi/62124). The partnership will bring a curated collection of iClick’s technology and lifestyle accessories – including the popular PopSockets brand – to Hit’s lineup.
Counselor’s 2025 Woman of Distinction Brings Her Service & Sustainability Mindset to Promo
When Mandi Rudd was in elementary school, she saw a “free puppies” sign – so she went home to her family with the whole bunch, because she knew that meant they needed help.
Counselor’s 2025 International Person of the Year Shares Brand-Building Tips
Once known as “the letters-and-numbers people,” Stahls’ (asi/88984) has revamped its image into an international powerhouse, with its finger on the pulse of transformative decoration technology like print-on-demand. Carleen Gray, the first CEO hired internally at the company, is the mastermind behind that shift, helping to push for a unified marketing strategy and raising Stahls’ visibility throughout Europe – efforts that earned her the award of Counselor 2025 International Person of the Year.
How Supply Chain Woes & Distributor Creativity Are Spurring Gift Card Sales for MediaTree
Brian Duran’s No. 1 rule for selling gift cards is not to sell gift cards. Coming from the general manager of MediaTree (asi/70303), a promo supplier focused on branded gift cards, that might sound a little silly, especially considering the massive year-over-year sales growth the company has experienced so far this year.
Promo Insiders: Totes, Tumblers, Tiny Turtles & Other Swag Gen Z Loves
Gen Z is becoming increasingly savvy about branded merchandise, and they’re more than willing to give what they deem “throwaway swag” a miss. But that doesn’t mean they turn up their nose at free stuff. Instead, college students and others in the younger generation are looking for functional pieces that fit their lifestyles, as well as aesthetically pleasing promo that tells a brand story with creativity and perhaps a dash of cuteness. One surprising hit among zoomers? Live plants.
Brian Urlacher Previews ASI Show Chicago Keynote With Talk on Grit & Overcoming Obstacles
Brian Urlacher was blessed with physical gifts – size, strength, speed. Still, it was his rock-solid character and mental toughness that transformed him from a talented young player into a Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker – and one of the most beloved Chicago Bears of all time. In this Promo Insiders podcast with ASI Media’s Christopher Ruvo, Urlacher shares sharp insights into the outlook and strategic approach that made him a bona fide NFL legend.
Hot Ideas To Heat Up Summer Promo Sales
The summer months usher in a season full of outdoor events and bustling vacation spots, with promotional products often playing a starring role.
Top Insights From the First-Ever Study of South Africa’s Merch Market
Golf shirts, T-shirts, corporate wear, drinkware and notebooks. That quintet represents the top five selling promotional product categories in South Africa. How can that be said with assurance? Thanks to a groundbreaking report from ASI Research – the first-ever study of the South African promo products market. Released in May 2025, the study is full of deep insights into the composition, workings and opportunities that exist in South Africa’s merch market.
Will Inventory Shortages Hit the Merch Market in 2025?
In April, the White House increased the additional tariff rate it had placed on China-made imports in 2025 to 145%. So cost-prohibitive was the levy that it triggered a widespread pullback in importing from China across industries, including in the promotional products space. In May, President Donald Trump’s administration temporarily lowered the 145% tariff rate implemented in 2025 on Chinese products to 30%.
A Pillow That Used To Be an Umbrella? Kathy Cheng Shares Promo Upcycling Success Stories
Upcycling, simply put, is the process of reusing a product or material in a way that increases its value. That could entail cutting up deadstock material and resewing it into quirky color-blocked styles. Or refashioning single-use signage into vibrant grocery totes. Or transforming old umbrellas into one-of-a-kind throw pillows.
ASI Media’s Distributor Up-and-Comer of the Year on Growing Sales by Over 300%
Since entering the promo industry in 2023, Jackson Williams has grown his sales by over 300% and earned last year’s Rookie of the Year award from Counselor Top 40 distributor American Solutions for Business (ASB, asi/120075). Must have been a breeze, right?
Sales Growth Tips From ASI Media’s 2025 Distributor Salesperson of the Year
Danni Zupan has a laid-back, easygoing way about her. But don’t let that fool you: The BAMKO (asi/131431) pro is engineering massive success in the promotional products space. Only in her sixth year in promo sales, Zupan generated nearly $20 million in personal sales in 2024 while working with household name clients like Amazon. For that and more, she was named ASI Media’s 2025 Distributor Salesperson of the Year.
How Randy Carr & World Emblem Are Mitigating the Impact of Tariffs
Randy Carr has been through ups and downs in his approximately 35 years in business. The CEO of Counselor Top 40 supplier World Emblem (asi/98264) says that 2025, with its tariff-driven tumult, has been one of the definitive down periods. “It’s a little like COVID,” says Carr.
Beyond Bluewashing: How To Build a Socially Conscious Promo Business
Greenwashing, when companies make exaggerated or just flat-out false claims about the eco-friendliness of their products or services, has become a fairly well-known term. For sure, consumers are getting savvier about spotting greenwashing in the wild. But have you heard of “bluewashing?” Bluewashing is when brands try to inflate their ethical claims – even if they’re doing very little to ensure the safety and well-being of the workers up and down their supply chain.
Our Favorite Moments From ASI Fort Worth 2025
Speakers, panelists, exhibitors and attendees brought Texas-sized energy to ASI Fort Worth. Held from March 29 to 31 at the Fort Worth Convention Center, the event featured a busy exhibit hall, numerous business-building education sessions, a refreshing keynote address and the first-ever ESP+ User Conference. And ASI Media Editors Sara Lavenduski and Hannah Rosenberger were on hand to cover it all.
The Evolution of Women’s Promo Apparel – And Why It’s So Important - Print & Promo Marketing
The approach to women’s promo apparel used to be to “pink it and shrink it,” describes Cassie Stanczyk, director of sales at BELLA + CANVAS (asi/39590). While the options for women’s styles have significantly expanded since those days, Stanczyk still notes a lack of conscious thinking around the product specs necessary to ensure a piece of clothing is well-fit to the female body. That’s often also still the case for women’s athletic uniforms as well – which is where Marina Paul comes in.
What Promo Pros Need To Know About the White-Collar Recession
U.S. unemployment rates have remained near historic lows and the economy grew in 2024, but the top-line positive numbers have belied a phenomenon playing out in certain sectors of the economy – namely, hiring slowdowns in industries like finance and tech.
Sorting Through Sustainability Certifications: How To Choose What’s Right for Your Company
Sustainability certifications can be an important framework to measure your company’s environmental and social impact – and help distributors choose supplier partners and clients that share the same values. But they can also be costly and complex. How do businesses determine which certifications – B Corp, EcoVadis, bluesign or something else – best represent their business?
A Comprehensive Recap on Tariffs & Their Impact on Promo Companies
“It’s been a very wild news cycle. I’ve been in journalism for almost 20 years, and it’s one of the more wild ones I’ve seen.” That’s ASI Media Executive Editor Christopher Ruvo commenting on the pace of news that’s kicked into hyperdrive since President Donald Trump took office for his second term and issued a flurry of executive orders. One particularly crucial topic to promo companies that has been changing by the day and seemingly the hour? Tariffs.
Promotional Products Distributors’ Biggest Client Pet Peeves – And How To Solve Them
Distributors, we know you love your clients. But there’s no denying that sometimes they can make your job difficult. Exactly how so? In an email blast sent earlier this month, we asked readers to let us know their number-one pet peeve with clients. We collected and organized the responses and then pulled out the five most common issues that distributors cited, including ones such as unresponsive customers and constantly pushing for unrealistic prices.
Marking International Women’s Day
Marking International Women’s Day It’s been 46 years since the United Nations officially recognized International Women’s Day as a global observance on March 8. First held as a largely decentralized series of movements advocating for better working conditions among female laborers, mostly in North America and Europe, it’s now a worldwide celebration that also serves to remind everyone of what efforts still need to be undertaken on the path to gender equality.
SnugZ USA Reborn: Integration & Service Challenges Behind, the Top 40 Supplier Is Ready for a Strong 2023
Brandon Mackay says it’s hands-down the hardest thing he has ever done. The near 30-year veteran of the promotional products industry was referring to completing the massive, round-the-clock, intense process of successfully integrating former Top 40 firm Sweda with SnugZ USA (asi/88060), the Top 40 supplier of which Mackay is CEO. SnugZ acquired Sweda in late 2021 and announced the deal at the outset of 2022.
SnugZ USA Reborn: Integration & Service Challenges Behind, the Top 40 Supplier Is Ready for a Strong 2023
SnugZ USA Reborn: Integration & Service Challenges Behind, the Top 40 Supplier Is Ready for a Strong 2023 Brandon Mackay says it’s hands-down the hardest thing he has ever done. The near 30-year veteran of the promotional products industry was referring to completing the massive, round-the-clock, intense process of successfully integrating former Top 40 firm Sweda with SnugZ USA (asi/88060), the Top 40 supplier of which Mackay is CEO.
Social Missions & Sustainability Score-Keeping
Kevin McCracken knows the importance of second chances. After all, he got his start in the promotional products and decorated-apparel industry after completing a drug and alcohol rehab program. Clean and sober for nearly a quarter of a century now, McCracken co-founded Social Imprints (asi/164607) to help give back to others who need that same helping hand.
Breaking Down the Promo Products Industry’s Record-Tying 2022 Sales
Breaking Down Promo’s Record-Tying 2022 Sales Promo won 2022. Last year, distributors collectively increased annual sales 11.4% to $25.8 billion. That’s according to ASI Research. The topline sales tally matched the all-time industry revenue record, which was set in 2019 – the last full pre-COVID year.
Talking Casual Fashion With SanMar’s Trend Analyst
Talking Casual Fashion With SanMar’s Trend Analyst With hoodies on the runway and leggings in the office, it’s clear that casual apparel has been embraced in every corner of fashion and all walks of life. “Shift is the right way to put it,” says Vicki Ostrom, a futurist and trend analyst with Top 40 supplier SanMar (asi/84863).
How Promo Can Help End Plastic Pollution
When the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty was announced last year, there were plenty of recognizable names on the list – major brands like IKEA, Unilever, Walmart and 3M were all represented in the sustainability effort convened by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the World Wildlife Fund. Nestled among those massive multinationals, however, was a small but mighty New York City-based promotional products distributor: EcoPlum (asi/185835).
The Future of HPG and Evans Following the Big Acquisition
In early January, Top 40 supplier HPG (asi/61966) closed on one of the biggest acquisitions the promo products industry has ever seen, buying fellow Top 40 firm Evans Manufacturing (asi/52840). The move drew heavy attention throughout the North American promotional products industry. It also sparked no shortage of questions: What can distributors expect from the companies in terms of product and service going forward? Why is the deal a good move for the suppliers – and their distributor customers?
The Future of HPG and Evans Following the Big Acquisition
In early January, Top 40 supplier HPG (asi/61966) closed on one of the biggest acquisitions the promo products industry has ever seen, buying fellow Top 40 firm Evans Manufacturing (asi/52840). The move drew heavy attention throughout the North American promotional products industry. It also sparked no shortage of questions: What can distributors expect from the companies in terms of product and service going forward? Why is the deal a good move for the suppliers – and their distributor customers?
Gemline’s New CEO Gets Candid on the Challenges, Opportunities & Evolution of the Promo Products Industry
Frank Carpenito isn’t afraid to talk about the big, important topics in the promotional products market.
Building the Dallas Cowboys Brand: A Chat with Charlotte Jones
Building the Dallas Cowboys Brand: A Chat with Charlotte Jones Charlotte Jones is one of the most powerful and innovative women in the world of sports and marketing. And on Wednesday, January 25th, she’ll be delivering a much-anticipated keynote specially for promotional products professionals at the ASI Show Fort Worth. Jones, of course, spearheads business operations and marketing strategies for the most valuable sports franchise in the world – the Dallas Cowboys.
Sustainability Solutions From a Small Supplier
Sustainability Solutions From a Small Supplier It was a lightbulb moment for Jason Emery. The president of Bolingbrook, IL-based promotional products supplier Toddy Gear (asi/91411) was talking to a customer in early 2021 about an item his company was launching using microfiber made from recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET). And the customer asked why Toddy Gear couldn’t just swap all its microfiber products to the material made from recycled plastic like water bottles.
Creative Secrets of Live Decoration and Activations
Creative Secrets of Live Decoration and Activations Live embroidery at an event? Lucas Guariglia and the team at Rowboat Creative (asi/313715) have done it. “Bringing embroidery machines to an activation for an event is great, but also completely crazy,” says Guariglia, who co-founded the Chicago-based decorator and merch agency in 2006. “Those machines are so delicate. Anything can go wrong, like the alignment’s off or thread’s breaking, and you have to worry about that.
A Deep-Dive on the State of the Promo Products Industry With Jeremy Lott
A Deep-Dive on the State of Promo With Jeremy Lott The way Jeremy Lott sees it, the long-term prognosis for promo is exceptionally good. “If you look at a 10-year industry trend, you’re going to see a really positive upward trend, just with little blips” along the way, he says. It’s an honest and encouraging word coming from Lott – the promotional products industry’s single most influential figure as he stands alone at number one on Counselor’s 2022 Power 50 list.
Countdown to Thanksgiving
Countdown to Thanksgiving Turkey Day is almost here, and that means it’s time for an ASI Media taste-test. To celebrate the upcoming holidays, Executive Editors Theresa Hegel and Sara Lavenduski and Social Media Producer Elieza Bague continued a Promo Insiders podcast tradition of sharing Thanksgiving plans and trying seasonal treats (like butter-flavored candy canes and turkey and gravy-flavored soda), while offering sales advice for distributors.
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