It all began in 1954.
The Counselor, as it was known then, published its first issue, taking its name from distributor salesmen. Indeed, 65 years ago, a distributor was called a counselor. The magazine itself was the brainchild of ASI founder Joe Segel, who wanted to give manufacturers a place to promote their logoed products.
In those early years, Counselor was 95% black and white, with only a few pops of color from select full-page ads. Articles shared selling tips, while columns combatted industry critics, including pundits who suggested promo products were “junk” and shouldn’t be given as business gifts.
Counselor also spotlighted industry leaders through a Man of the Month feature, in some ways a precursor to our first Person of the Year award – given in 1965 to Stanley V. Linham, a past president of industry organizations SANA and SAA.
Since then, the Counselor brand has certainly evolved, grooving through the 1970s and ’80s with edgy covers and growing up in the ’90s with our first Woman of Distinction honorees. The turn of the century brought with it the internet age and the debut of Counselor PromoGram. Most recently, Counselor has launched an ever-growing group of award programs to recognize the best companies, merch and people the industry has to offer.
Through it all, about 700 issues later, we’ve arrived at 65 years of Counselor. In the links below, we take a snapshot of our trip through promo products history and the fascinating path that lies ahead.
