To be competitive in the branded merchandise industry in 2026 and beyond, you must become AI.

“I need to find this exact (insert merch image here).” Artificial intelligence can do that; you’re not needed.

“My creativity will keep my customers with me.” Yes, see more below, but already Coca Cola is effectively using AI in advertising and creative design. And, in case you haven’t noticed, Coca Cola is pretty good at marketing.

This isn’t intended to be pessimistic – this isn’t Rorschach from The Watchmen declaring the end – but it’s rather a clear-eyed look at reality. The question is not if AI will reshape our industry, but how we respond to it. Do we resist and become obsolete, or do we adapt and thrive? The answer is simple: we evolve.

Leverage AI To Maximize Your Value

We become AI.

Don’t fear or discount it. Embrace it, understand it and integrate it into how we deliver value. The branded merch professionals who win in this next era won’t compete against AI, but will use it to amplify their expertise, relationships and strategic thinking.

When paired with human insight, creativity and trust, AI becomes a competitive advantage.”

Dan Townes

President, Shepenco

In order for promo practitioners to survive – and more importantly, lead – consider the following:

1. Use AI to learn about your clients and be prepared to provide them with a competitive analysis. In other words, know your stuff better than anyone else.

2. With AI, the antiquated concept of features and benefits of a product means little to our clients. This information is at their fingertips. Understand our client’s industry pressures and the financial consequences of them. Present how we can minimize these.

3. Subjectively, the most important: cultivate our human skills. Build rapport. Be empathetic. Relationships aren’t automated.

ICYMI: Bobby Lehew: The Industry’s AI Problem Isn’t Adoption. It’s Depth.

4. Be a consultant/advisor. The best merch pros already do this, but now we must elevate it.

5. Build one’s brand. Authenticity and authority will differentiate us from AI.

We must also embrace and use AI to:

  • Analyze data and create project plans faster and more accurately.
  • Develop data-driven insights that allow us to tailor presentations and recommendations with precision.
  • Stay curious. Experiment, test and adopt new tools to remain relevant and competitive.


Force Multiplier

The real shift from AI is that instead of paying for access to products, clients will pay for clarity, confidence and results. Anyone can source a hoodie, but not everyone can connect that hoodie to a hiring initiative, a brand story or a measurable business outcome. That’s where you win.

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So, ask yourself: are you a vendor, or are you a strategic partner? Are you reacting to requests, or shaping decisions? The gap between those two roles is where AI creates separation.

Lean into it. Use it to move faster, think deeper and show up smarter because in this new landscape, being indispensable is everything. For merch pros, AI isn’t a threat – it’s a force multiplier. When paired with human insight, creativity and trust, it becomes a competitive advantage.

You must become AI: absolutely indispensable.

A 30-plus-year veteran of the branded merchandise industry, Townes is president of Shepenco.