If 2020 was the year of fear, 2021 was the year of turbulence.
Despite end-user skittishness, frozen budgets, continued lockdowns, supply chain problems, inflation, and “the great resignation”, many of you thrived. This industry’s ability to overcome any challenge is astounding and your optimism knows no bounds.
If you weren’t growing you were rebuilding. 2021 also signaled a big shift in two other crucial ways: one was how the world saw the industry, the other was how we now see ourselves.
There were more headlines in 2021 about the positive impact of branded merchandise than any year in memory. Consumers and clients flocked to create emotional connections with merch as headlines from major publications like Forbes, The Atlantic, Medium (and more) highlighted a growing trend: the incredible impact of our medium. And astonishingly, the market changed how it referred to what we sell, no longer using the terms “promotional products” or “swag” (and less and less in the pejorative) but rather, embracing the term “branded merchandise,” a phrase which commands higher respect and higher premiums.
And our industry saw itself differently too.
Those words above are from our annual open letter to the industry from Mark and Catherine Graham, co-founders of commonsku.
Today on the skucast, Mark, Catherine, and Bobby look back at the changes in 2021 that transformed the way we work, the way we sell, and the way we live.
And we look ahead at the trends reshaping our industry and the opportunities that await us.