PPAI continued its efforts to educate future marketers about the power of promotional products by sponsoring a couple of focus groups during the American Marketing Association’s 2025 Summer Academic Conference in Chicago last week.

The goal of the focus groups, which were attended by dozens of professors from around the world, was to push for promo to be part of higher education curriculum. Ultimately, PPAI wants to make college students more aware of and excited about the branded merchandise industry, particularly emphasizing the importance of making merch essential to every marketing strategy.

Whether it’s from our Board of Directors or our members, we hear a lot about getting people excited about our industry while they’re in college.”

Lindsey Davis, MAS

VP of Sales, PPAI

“Whether it’s from our Board of Directors or our members, we hear a lot about getting people excited about our industry while they’re in college,” says Lindsey Davis, MAS, vice president of sales at PPAI. “We want them to not only see our industry as a possible career opportunity, but also consider promo as part of the marketing strategies they implement wherever they end up in their careers.”

PPAI leaders took away better ideas for resources for academic use and new ways to explain the industry to be more relevant to the modern business curriculum.

The last time I read a textbook promotional products had just a paragraph. Our goal is to make sure promo has at least its own chapter.”

Jessica Gibbons-Rauch, MBA, MAS

Sr. Manager of Professional Development, PPAI

“This experience was absolutely fantastic,” says Jessica Gibbons-Rauch, MBA, MAS, PPAI’s senior manager of professional development. “Through the conversations we had, we validated things we already knew and learned what resources educators need to advance our message.”

Additionally, the Association discovered new opportunities to support research that illustrates the universal appeal of promo and its unlimited potential as a marketing tool.

“We left the conference with professors seeing promo as more than giveaways – a real teaching tool for branding and engagement,” says Alok Bhat, market economist, research and public affairs lead at PPAI. “Showing how physical and digital can connect, like with NFC-enabled products, really resonated.”

Alok Bhat headshot
We left the conference with professors seeing promo as more than giveaways – a real teaching tool for branding and engagement.”

Alok Bhat

Market Economist, Research & Public Affairs Lead, PPAI

Looking forward to continued collaboration with universities, the Association is now focused on turning the conversations from the conference into resources and case studies.

“The last time I read a textbook,” Gibbons-Rauch says, “promotional products had just a paragraph. Our goal is to make sure promo has at least its own chapter.”