Promotional Products or Advertising Specialties is the imprinting of company logo or information on literally tens of thousands of different products to help promote their company name or the theme they have on the product. The business is a multi billion dollar industry with sales exceeding $17 billion. Some of the products that are used are: Wearables, Pens, Calendars, Drinkware, Bags, Desk/Office Products, Magnets, etc. Wearables can comprise of T-shirts, hats, golf shirts, jackets and any other item that you can wear on your person. The business is comprised of two different types of companies: Suppliers & Distributors. The Supplier companies actually produce the product and imprint it with the message. An example would be Leeds [1]These companies usually imprint multiple product lines and imprint by a number of processes. Imprinting can be through Embroidery, Silkscreen, Pad Printing, Embossing to name a few. Suppliers do not sell to the general public but distribute their lines through the distributors. Distributors should have a vast knowledge of products available and should be able to give you promotional ideas based on budget, themes, and materials. Distributors are the companies that will sell to the end user. An example would be The Odee Company [2]. Distributors should have a number of catalogs and web tools at their disposal to help you find the right product for your promotion. One tool is a database that can be accessed via the web to search for product ideas and costs that you can use at any time that is convenient for you. An example of this would be Logomall [3] These companies have source companies both domestically, as well as, overseas. Depending on time available they will use domestic factories or custom overseas outsourcing. Costs can be substantially lower for overseas outsourcing but also usually takes longer to produce and ship. There are over 20,000 distributors in the United States. There are 2 industry associations that support the promotional products industry. One is a for profit run association called ASI or Advertising Specialty Institute. Website [4] The other association is a non profit association that is the source of most history for the industry as well as this article. PPAI or Promotional Products Association International Website[5] was started in 1903. The industry originally was called Advertising Specialties but the new name PPAI was adopted to better reflect the industry in 1993. The industry has seen substantial growth from @ $5 billion in sales in 1991 to over $17 billion in 2004. It is a dynamic industry that should continue to evolve due to the internet and overseas impacts. Related Links The Odee Companywebsite Search Term: "Promotional_products"

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