C.J. Mittica: These days, it seems like every company, cause, celebrity and influencer has their own merch store. Branding is so ubiquitous that everybody is encouraged to have their own personal brand. Even for the industry we cover, it can feel like overkill. Do you feel the same way? What about the experts you talked to for this article?

Senior Editor Sara Lavenduski, at left, and Advantages Editor-in-Chief C.J Mittica

Sara Lavenduski: Yes, the number of merchandise lines can feel overwhelming at times. But I think what’s cool now is that it’s so targeted. The experts I talked to agreed: when you’re throwing a random product at people – arguably the equivalent of being barraged with digital ads that aren’t relevant to you – the brand message risks being lost. But branding trendy items and creating anticipation or an experience around them gives promotional products new life. And there’s still so much opportunity there.

CM: I agree that targeted merch is definitely more effective – but I also think it’s lending this air of inescapability. On email, social media, retargeted digital advertising and the web, these groups know where to find us. I guess I’m wondering this: Do we as consumers have an endless capacity to be enticed by merch? Or is there a saturation point that leads to diminishing returns? And if so, are we anywhere close to it?

SL: I don’t know that we have an endless capacity, but tastes do change over time. So a type of product reaches saturation, and then we’re all moving on. I do believe we only have so much “eye juice” and then we get antsy and move to the next product. However, where I think we could be reaching a saturation point is with generic products with a logo slapped on them, handed out in an unremarkable way to a huge group of people. We all expect more than that now (we want to be catered to as individually as possible) but not all brands get it.

CM: Those are good points. This era is an all-you-can-eat buffet of entertainment and distractions. We’ve expanded our plate, but we can’t consume everything. So we have to prioritize. That’s why targeted promo is so important. It can’t start a brand’s cult, but it can grow it, nurture it, enliven it. It’s a cutthroat competition for eyeballs and wallets; consumers can shop anywhere and watch anything. Promo helps those brands stand out.

SL: Exactly. And if the promo industry is serious about competing for those eyeballs and wallets, they need to be able to help their clients with not only sourcing trendy products but also targeting specific end-users for optimal brand impact. However, the promo industry has had a reputation of sometimes being behind the times. Do you think it’s now at a place where it can seriously adopt current product trends on a larger scale, while helping clients distribute them in cool ways?

CM: I hesitate to issue a categorical “yes.” There are many distributors who are creative in their choices and strategic in their deployment of promo items. But we also know there are plenty who stick to what’s easy: low-cost items given away without thought. And to be fair, end-buyers are equally complicit in this, especially when they frequent self-serve e-commerce sites with the thought of “What can I get the most of for the cheapest?”

SL: Yes, distributors are going to have to shift the way they approach positioning the products in the marketplace, and at the same time get their clients on board as well. They’ll have to educate them about the importance of investing in quality products and being strategic and creative in their targeting of end-users. All of that is going to take some time, but fortunately the products and tools are there.