What Advertising and Marketing Professionals Actually Want From Branded Merch

No audience understands the mechanics of a branded giveaway better than people who work in advertising and marketing. They know how promotional products are sourced. They can spot a low-margin filler item at ten feet. And they have strong opinions about what actually makes a branded item worth keeping.

That makes ASI's end-buyer research data on the advertising and marketing sector particularly useful. When this audience, one of the most informed and most critical in the promotional products ecosystem, tells you what it values, the signal is worth listening to carefully. This post breaks down what the research reveals and what it means for any organization creating promotional products for marketing agencies or gifting this audience. Browse our catalog or contact us.

Key Data at a Glance

MetricAdvertising & Marketing Finding View promo as effective for brand awareness96% (highest of all industries surveyed) Would view advertiser more positively after brand-name apparel73% Have purchased promo from an e-commerce site7 in 10 Keep items primarily for quality70% Keep items for utility52% Keep items for attractiveness43% Say socially responsible sourcing is important83% Say environmentally friendly is important82% Say Made in USA is important55% (lowest of industries surveyed) Believe AI will significantly affect their lives in 3 years46% (highest of industries surveyed)

The Audience That Believes in Promotional Products Most

The standout number from this research is 96 percent: the share of advertising and marketing end-buyers who view promotional products and apparel as an effective medium for improving brand awareness. That is the highest figure across all industries surveyed, which makes intuitive sense. This audience works with branded communications daily and understands from professional experience what creates lasting impressions.

The practical implication for any brand gifting this audience is that the bar is high. Marketing professionals who believe deeply in the power of promotional products will notice immediately when an execution falls short of the category's potential. Generic, low-quality items are not just ignored by this audience; they actively communicate that the organization behind them does not take branded communication seriously.

Takeaway: The advertising and marketing audience is both the most receptive to great promotional products and the most critical of poor ones.

Quality Is the Primary Retention Driver

When asked why they keep promotional items, advertising and marketing professionals ranked quality first at 70 percent, followed by utility at 52 percent and attractiveness at 43 percent. Quality leading utility is a meaningful signal for this audience: they are not primarily keeping items because they are functional. They are keeping them because they are well made.

This has a direct implication for sourcing decisions. For this audience, the quality of materials, construction, and branding execution matters more than whether the item serves a specific practical function. A beautifully made item that demonstrates craftsmanship will be retained longer than a functional but poorly executed one.

For guidance on what quality looks like across product categories, see our post on the promotional products consumers are tired of in 2026 for a breakdown of where execution quality makes the biggest difference.

Brand-Name Apparel Has an Outsized Impact

Seventy-three percent of advertising and marketing end-buyers say they would have a more positive view of an advertiser who gave them brand-name promotional apparel. That is a significant number for a category that many organizations treat as a premium line item rather than a core strategy.

For marketing industry gifting specifically, this means that investing in quality branded apparel from recognized brands delivers a return on perception that generic apparel cannot match. A quality hoodie, jacket, or cap from a brand the recipient already respects borrows that positive association for the gifting organization.

For more on the premium apparel opportunity, see our post on premium branded headwear and our guide to branding placement rules for wearables.

Sustainability Is a Strong Purchase Signal

Eighty-three percent of advertising and marketing end-buyers say it is important that promo products they receive are socially responsible, and 82 percent say environmentally friendly sourcing matters. Both figures are among the highest across industries surveyed.

Notably, Made in USA scores lowest for this sector at 55 percent, the lowest of all industries in the study. This suggests that the advertising and marketing audience cares more about how a product is made (ethically and environmentally) than where it is made, which has sourcing implications for organizations building kits for this audience.

For sustainable merchandise options, see our post on sustainable promotional products.

What This Audience Loves to Receive

The ASI research highlights specific items that advertising and marketing professionals named among the best promotional products they have ever received. The list reflects the quality-first preference of the audience: a Carhartt hoodie, a YETI tumbler, custom shoes, a carry-on duffle bag, and a sustainable water bottle all appear alongside more unexpected items like an inflatable paddleboard and an extra-large mouse pad.

The common thread is that each item is either a recognized premium brand or a high-utility item with genuine everyday value. Nothing on this list is a standard filler giveaway.

Build Merch That a Marketing Pro Would Be Proud To Display

Advertising and marketing professionals are the audience most likely to notice the thought behind a branded item and most likely to talk about it when it exceeds expectations. For this audience, quality, sustainability, and brand-name recognition are the three variables that determine whether a promotional product lands as a genuine brand investment or misses entirely.

Award Maven helps organizations build promotional products worthy of the most discerning audience in the market. Browse our catalog or contact our team to discuss what works for your marketing industry gifting program.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do advertising and marketing professionals value most in promotional products?

According to ASI end-buyer research, quality is the primary reason advertising and marketing professionals keep promotional items at 70 percent, followed by utility at 52 percent and attractiveness at 43 percent. This audience also places high value on sustainability, with 83 percent saying socially responsible sourcing is important and 82 percent prioritizing environmentally friendly products.

Does brand-name apparel matter for marketing industry gifting?

Yes. Seventy-three percent of advertising and marketing end-buyers say they would view an advertiser more positively after receiving brand-name promotional apparel. This is one of the highest impact gifting decisions for this audience, as they have professional context for understanding what the investment signals about the organization behind the gift.

Are promotional products effective for reaching advertising and marketing professionals?

Highly effective. Ninety-six percent of advertising and marketing end-buyers view promotional products and apparel as an effective medium for improving brand awareness, the highest figure of any industry surveyed. This audience believes in promotional products professionally and responds to quality executions accordingly.