PPAI Media is looking back on the year’s most impactful news and trends in a four-part series on the stories that shaped the branded merchandise industry over the past 12 months.
In the series’ second entry, we share articles that proved promotional products are universally valued and essential to every brand.
Click through to this year’s top Promotional Products Work! articles.
New Era’s MLB Caps Pulled For Vulgar Designs
In March, fans were thrilled ahead of a new Major League Baseball season and, with it, a slew of new collectible merchandise. However, New Era’s “Overlap” hats for the 2025 season caught all the headlines, but not in a good way.
New Era, creator of MLB’s official hat, dropped its Overlap 5950 collection on March 10. The eye-catching hats place each team’s logo over the team’s nickname for a 3D-decorated effect.
While many fans nodded in approval after first seeing the hats, a second look revealed that not one, but multiple hats sported NSFW words with the overlapping logo and nickname.
Starbucks Brews Up Global Merch Collab With ‘Peanuts’
In the spring, Starbucks and the iconic Peanuts crew teamed up to launch a global brand partnership that celebrates coffee, compassion and community.
Starbucks stores in more than 80% of its worldwide market introduced an exclusive line of Peanuts-inspired merchandise, beverages and food items.
This fun collaboration featured the beloved comic strip characters and Joe Kind Snoopy, a Snoopy persona only available at Starbucks that encourages people to connect through simple, everyday acts of kindness.
Want To Peek Inside Those $200,000 Oscars Gift Bags?
If there was an award for the most impressive swag bag at the Oscars, we have a pretty good idea who’d take home the trophy.
For the 23rd year and counting, Los Angeles-based marketing company Distinctive Assets has offered Oscar nominees a coveted “Everybody Wins” gift bag. This yearly effort isn’t affiliated with the Academy Awards.
This year’s bag, valued at nearly $200,000, was filled with more than 60 gifts ranging from cannabis pre-rolls and THC-infused drinks to a four-night stay worth $23,000 at a Maldives resort to AncestryDNA’s $25,000 VIP Family History Experience for a complete family tree.
Bluesky CEO Wears T-Shirt Mocking Mark Zuckerberg… And Makes Bank
Bluesky CEO Jay Graber walked on stage at SXSW wearing a T-shirt that threw shade at Mark Zuckerberg and, amazingly, sales of those shirts in one day topped the amount earned by the company’s custom domain sales in two years.
The newcomer social media company – now with more than 33 million users – sold out of the first batch and continued selling them through March 25.
Graber’s black T-shirt with black text was a lookalike for the one the Meta CEO wore onstage just before SXSW.
John Daly’s Hooters Hustle: Cashing In On Merch During The Masters
The Masters isn’t just the first major golf tournament of the calendar year – it’s the merch mecca for the sport’s fans.
Because official Masters swag is sold exclusively on site during the tournament, tens of thousands of attendees line up to enter the brick-and-mortar shop to buy branded polos, T-shirts, hats, magnets, flags, can coolers, cups and much more.
If you’re out of luck at the Masters merch shop, you can still head down the road to Hooters, where legendary golfer John Daly posts up every year during the tournament to meet fans and peddle his wares.
More Trending Promotional Products Work Articles From 2025
Aldi Releases Spring Gear Collection, Including First Line For Kids
Newsom Engages In Merch Battle With MAGA-Style Promo Mocking Trump
Hulk Hogan Merch, And The Contract That Changed Wrestling History
Fast-Food Fashion Has Hit Peak Weird, Thanks To Arby’s Napkin Outfit
