PPB November 2017

by Brittany Glenn Made I n The USA Made In The USA Appeal to U.S. consumers’ pride in American craftsmanship with domestically sourced products. F or decades now, Americans have been buying imported products because of their lower cost and, in some cases, greater selection and availability. While globalization is not going away—ever—and there is a place for lower-cost products, increasingly, U.S. consumers are indicating an interest in buying products that aremade closer to home. They are interested in origins and authenticity; they want to knowwhere products come from, what they aremade of and what the story is behind them. These influences have fanned the flames of a new movement—that of Americans buying products specificallymade in the U.S. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released in July found that 70 percent of Americans think it is “very important” or “somewhat important” to buy U.S.-made products. Since the promotional products industry has always taken its cues from the larger consumer products sphere, perhaps this is why demand for made-in-the-USA branded products is on the rise. “We have seen increased interest in American-made promotional products,” says Stan Dohan, MAS, president of Blanchester, Ohio-based supplier The Allen Company. “American patriotism and pride are on the rise along with an increase in U.S. manufacturing stories. We are also in the collegiate licensed market, and large purchasers like Notre Dame will not buy products from Asia.” Amberlea Barnes, CEO of Stuttgart, Arkansas-based supplier Drum-Line, says 38 | NOVEMBER 2017 | GROW