Q: What Are Promotional Products?

A: Promotional products—usually imprinted with a company's name, logo or message—include useful or decorative articles of merchandise that are utilized in marketing and communication programs. Imprinted products that are distributed free are called advertising specialties. Imprinted items given as an incentive for a specific action are known as premiums. Business gifts, awards and commemoratives are also considered promotional products.

Q: How Is The Promotional Products Industry Organized?

A: 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 20,000 distributor firms in the industry. More than 7,000 distributors and suppliers are members of Promotional Products Association International (PPAI). Click here to view PPAI's Association Profile.

Q: What Is A Supplier?

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

A: 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 advertisers.

A: 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 relations, 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. Click here to view promotional products case studies.