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...

https://www.youtube.com/live/cDTKMB1bq80Following Legislative Education & Action Day in Washington, PPAI Media has provided a webinar offering a comprehensive recap of the event, giving members a clear view into how the branded merchan...

Sometimes, follow-ups feel kind of scattered. You might send an email here or make a call there and hope it clicks. That’s where a sales cadence can help. It’s a plan for who you contact and how and when you reach them. It might include a mix of ema...

Norman Cohn, the longtime leader of Advertising Specialty Institute and one of the most consequential figures in the history of the branded merchandise industry, died Friday at the age of 93, ASI has announced.For more than seven decades, Coh...

Some sales reps prefer a quick preparation before sales calls. They may skim a few notes or glance at a LinkedIn profile, trusting they’ll just figure out the rest as the call goes on. That kind of approach can make conversations feel generic. They ...

It's that time of year when branded merchandise companies begin releasing their environmental, social and governance or sustainability impact reports.These reports highlight merch firms’ corporate social responsibility achievements over the past...

Social media is great for lots of things, like sharing case studies and the latest merch. It’s also one of the best ways to understand the people you’re trying to sell to. Maybe you’re scoping out a prospect before a pitch or looking for common grou...

Almost 60 industry volunteers joined PPAI staff in our nation’s capital this week to ask for a clear and predictable trade policy and to educate lawmakers on how our global supply chain supports hundreds of thousands of American jobs.Each year, ...

SanMar (PPAI 110788, Platinum), the No. 1 supplier in the PPAI 100, has announced two promotions within its sales organization. Chantelle McCall has been promoted to vice president of inside sales and sales operations, and Barb Herman...