Eight months into his role as PPAI's President and CEO, Drew Holmgreen has discovered something remarkable: the promotional products industry's biggest strength isn't what we sell—it's how we collaborate.
Coming from the brutal world of advertising agencies where competition meant warfare, Drew found an industry where competitors actually help each other win. But that collaborative spirit revealed a bigger opportunity: positioning promotional products as a legitimate marketing channel, not just branded merchandise.
Drew's vision for the $27 billion promotional products industry centers on strategic transformation, data-driven advocacy, and elevating the entire sector to marketing channel status.
Drew's agency background prepared him for battle, not friendship. The industry's collaborative competition isn't just professional courtesy—it's proof that strong industry associations create environments where everyone wins.
Here's Drew's radical repositioning: promotional products aren't a product category. We're a marketing channel, just like TV, digital, or radio.
The problem? CMOs and brand managers see merch as "this cool thing we can do to get our logo on somebody's cap" instead of strategic message delivery. PPAI's solution involves top talent hires and strategic marketing campaigns that position promotional products alongside advertising mediums.
That industry size figure might be dramatically undervalued. Drew suspects promotional products' true economic impact rivals the events industry's $1.1 trillion global impact.
PPAI is collaborating with BPMA, PPPC, AAFA, ASI, EAC, and the American Marketing Association to fund comprehensive global economic impact research. Imagine client conversations armed with trillion-dollar impact data instead of just product catalogs.
That's the kind of ammunition that changes conversations entirely.
Great agencies don't just sell creative—they sell strategy. The promotional products equivalent means asking different questions: Who are your stakeholders? What message are you trying to convey? How can we link this to other marketing efforts?
One distributor exemplified this shift perfectly. When a client requested "just some pins," she responded: "Then I might not be the right person for you." That's exactly the backbone needed for industry elevation.
Drew Holmgren represents the promotional products industry's strategic awakening. His agency background brings consultative thinking while industry immersion reveals our collaborative superpower.
The transformation isn't about changing what we do—it's about changing how the world sees what we do.
The promotional products industry stands at a pivotal moment. We can keep playing small, competing on price and product features. Or we can claim our rightful position as the marketing channel that delivers what digital advertising can't: tangible, memorable, emotional connections that people actually keep.
Drew's approach shows what's possible when you combine strategic thinking with industry collaboration. The question isn't whether promotional products can compete with digital advertising budgets—it's whether we'll position ourselves as the strategic alternative that delivers what digital can't: tangible, emotional connections.
Related Resources:
[00:03:48] "A Vision of Joy" and creating emotional connections through merch
[00:08:03] Reframing promo as a marketing channel, not tchotchkes
[00:11:05] Global economic impact study: Beyond the $27 billion US market
[00:14:00] Sustainability and inclusivity trends across member companies
[00:17:00] AI adoption and tariff advocacy strategies
[00:20:09] New learning management system and PPEF scholarship programs