Vanderbilt University received the Best Branded Merch in a University Marketing Campaign Award during the American Marketing Association Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education in Maryland last month.PPAI – through its Promoti...

The Workplace Advisors specializes in providing HR assistance to associations such as PPAI and their member companies. Each month, the consultancy answers anonymous questions from companies about a myriad of topics. Below is advice on how t...

This is the time of year when all our consulting and fractional CFO distributor clients are working on 2026 business plans and budgets. Makes sense, right?But when we had initial discovery calls with distributors over the last few years, 99% hav...

It sounds simple enough to listen to someone. However, listening isn’t the same as truly hearing them. When you practice active listening, you’re tuning in to what the other person is saying — not thinking about what you’ll say next. You stay fully ...

Promo is a resilient industry, and the demand for branded merch remains. That's the good news, and you can see it in the data, as industry revenue has risen slightly. The bad news is that such a rise still does not come close to making up for the cu...

A cold intro is reaching out to someone who doesn’t know you while a warm intro is connecting through someone they already trust. As a promo pro, warm intros help you build credibility fast and make it much easier to start a meaningful conversation....

Groupthink can sneak into a team without anyone noticing. Maybe everyone nods along in a sales meeting because they don’t want to slow things down. Or perhaps your team adopts a new strategy, not because it’s perfect, but because no one wants to rai...

These quick updates were provided to PPAI’s Product Responsibility Action Group during its November 2025 meeting by Karolyn Helda, QIMA:Potential Change To Federal PFAS Reporting RulesThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed ame...

Ensuring the quality, safety and compliance of your products isn’t just a matter of regulatory obligation – it’s a strategic imperative.At QAI, we’ve spent over three decades helping companies navigate the intricate challenges of global sourcing...

If you’ve ever felt that Gen Z was judging your company tote bag, you’re not wrong.According to PPAI’s 2025 Promo Preferences by Generation study, 73% of Gen Z respondents said apparel is their favorite type of promo product – but not just ...