You may not realize how much time meetings take up. One study shows that the average professional spends more than a quarter of the workweek in meetings. This adds up to nearly 10 full workweeks by the end of the year.Some teams default to meeti...

Sitting at the top of PPAI's recently debuted five-year strategic plan is a goal and a vision: to establish and showcase that branded merch is the premier marketing channel that Powers Lasting Connections.And yet still that does not preclude the...

Goldstar (PPAI 114031, Platinum), PPAI 100’s No. 16 supplier, has announced a new strategic initiative designed to “drastically enhance customer experience and operational speed.”In June, the San Diego-based company will simultane...

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...

Following Legislative Education & Action Day in Washington, an upcoming PPAI Media webinar will provide a comprehensive recap of the event, offering attendees a clear view into how the branded merchandise industry is represented on Capitol Hill....

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...