The Facebook group formerly known as The Promotional Products Professionals has rebranded to PPP / Branded Merchandise Professionals, reflecting the evolution of the industry’s nomenclature and identity.
- Created in 2008, The PPP / Branded Merchandise Professionals group currently has more than 15,000 members, hailing from the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, China, the Philippines, Australia, India, Pakistan and Mexico.
The change comes on the heels of PPAI transitioning its language from “promotional products” to “branded merchandise.” After all, the range of possibilities that you see at The PPAI Expo – from food to apparel to pens to experiential activations and beyond, whether gifted or sold to consumers – is more economically meaningful than traditional “promotional products” sales suggest.
Lisa Bibb, MAS, executive director of both the Virginia Promotional Products Association and the Georgia Association of Promotional Products Professionals, is also the moderator of the PPP / Branded Merchandise Professionals group. She changed the name during PPAI’s Regional Town Hall on July 14.
Lisa Bibb, MAS
Moderator, PPP / Branded Merchandise Professionals
All executive directors, regional board members and Regional Relations Committee members were invited. During the event, PPAI President and CEO Drew Holmgreen, CAS, explained how the Association is working to shift the conversation from “promotional products” to “branded merchandise.”
“It makes sense that all professionals would adopt the same language and bring the clients (and general public) along for the ride,” Bibb says. “There’s been no pushback at all from members of the group.”
Furthermore, a couple members posted that they’ve been referring to the industry and what they sell as “branded merchandise” for years.
‘What We Do Is Bigger Than Product’
The deliberate shift in how we talk about and position our industry stems from PPAI’s new five-year strategic plan.
Over the past year, the Association has spent time listening more closely, learning from across our community and grounding our direction in research and real market insight. What became clear, according to Holmgreen, is that our greatest opportunity for growth isn’t just in what we sell, but in how we’re understood.
“Moving from ‘promotional products’ to ‘branded merchandise’ isn’t just semantics,” Holmgreen wrote in the June issue of PPAI Magazine. “It’s a signal that what we do is bigger than product. We are part of how brands connect, engage and build lasting relationships.”
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That realization led directly to the creation of PPAI’s five- year strategic plan, rooted in a clear and unified belief that branded merchandise is a critical marketing channel that powers lasting connections. By reframing and repositioning our industry around that truth, we create space for new growth, new relevance and a bigger role in the conversations that shape brand strategy.
Keep that in mind when considering PPAI’s forthcoming global economic impact study, produced by highly regarded independent third-party firm Oxford Economics and slated to release in the third quarter of 2026.
The study is intricate in both process and results, but it was commissioned and carried out from a simple notion: The numbers you have been seeing attributed to the branded merch industry’s annual economy don’t tell the whole story. Around the world, the true impact is far greater than the $27.1 billion attributed to U.S. distributor sales last year.
What makes up the branded merchandise ecosystem? Included in the study are:
- Traditional promotional products
- Decorated hard goods and soft goods
- Apparel, workwear and related products
- Licensed merchandise
- Retail branded merchandise
- Creator and customized merchandise
- Print-on-demand and e-commerce channels
- White-label and private-label branded goods
- Event, campaign, gifting, recognition and activation-related merchandise
- Products used by companies, organizations, schools, teams, creators, events and other brand owners to promote, represent or monetize a brand
Is PPAI Changing Its Name?
Given the new direction, it’s only natural for industry professionals to speculate if PPAI will be changing its name anytime soon.
After all, many companies and regional associations have incorporated “promotional products” into their own identity and are probably wondering if they should rebrand. As Bibb mentioned, it makes sense that all members of the industry would adopt the same language.
Holmgreen gets this question a lot, and has gone on the record with PPAI Media to share his answer:
Drew Holmgreen, CAS
President & CEO, PPAI
“Right now, PPAI’s focus is on establishing a clear baseline for how our industry is perceived and understood, particularly its role as a strategic marketing medium that powers lasting connections,” Holmgreen says.
“If that baseline ultimately suggests there may be value in considering a name change, we would undertake a thorough and data-driven evaluation before making any decisions. We also recognize and deeply respect the proud history and strong equity built into the PPAI name over many decades.”
Industry Reaction
Always an opinionated bunch, members of the Facebook group have weighed in on PPAI’s shift to “branded merchandise.” While some prefer “swag,” others are in favor of the industry’s revamped terminology.
“It’s a much stronger position and doesn’t pigeonhole your business by name alone,” wrote Rich Casey, owner of Buffalo, New York-based Summit Merch Group. “We went through a similar rebrand. Our legal entity is still R&D Express Print, but we operate as Summit Merch Group because we’re involved in so much more than printing. ‘Branded merchandise’ feels like it better represents what our industry actually does today.”
Sara Salazar
Founder & Brand Strategist, BrandRave Marketing
Sara Salazar, founder and brand strategist at Las Vegas-based distributor BrandRave Marketing, wrote that she has always leaned toward calling it “branded merch” because “promotional products” still has that giveaway or tchotchke association in a lot of people’s minds.
“Branded merchandise feels more aligned with the strategic work we actually do and gives the industry a more modern, elevated feel, especially for newer generations coming into marketing,” wrote Salazar, who was a recipient of this year’s WLC First-Time Attendee Scholarship.
“That’s just how I’ve always positioned my business, though. At the end of the day, every business knows its audience best, so you have to use the language that works for your clients.”
