Post-Pandemic Promotions: Three Important Trends For 2022 by Tara Milburn The end of 2020, and all the many challenges associated with the beginning of this decade, couldn’t have come fast enough. For most industries, and perhaps for the promotional products industry especially, January 2021 looked like a starting line. While the challenges and dangers of the pandemic were far fromover, professionals were looking forward to Q1 with bated breath and hopes of brighter months ahead. To some degree, those hopes were realized; the beginning of 2021 brought with it a tone of optimism that continued throughout the year. By Q2, 50 percent of distributors responding to a PPAI Research survey reported sales up by at least 20 percent compared to the same period in 2020. Confidence within the industry followed, with 42.3 percent of distributor survey respondents reporting a higher level of confidence during Q2. The remainder of the year saw a non-linear rise, full of challenges and setbacks, but the promotional products industry has experienced a positive increase over the past 12 months. And if distributors looked forward to 2021 as a starting line, 2022 seems to be off to the races. The rollout of the vaccine has encouraged a return tomeetings, conferences, corporate and leisurely travel. Recovered hiring budgets have companies vying for talented professionals, each of whomwill need the proper promotional product welcome gift. Schools are back in session, new-to-market vendors are on the corporate scene, and the need for thoughtful, useful, branded promotional products is back—dare we say—in full force. And while there’s every reason to believe in a return to 2019 numbers, the industry won’t get there with 2019 strategies. Below are three important trends and changes for distributors to consider for 2022. The Ascending Importance Of Tangible Marketing Almost every COVID-era company was working at a diminished sales volume; reducing budgets across the board was a necessary survival strategy. This ledmarketing teams to be more ByQ2, 50 percent of distributors responding to a PPAI Research survey reported sales up by at least 20 percent compared to the same period in 2020. atk work / Shutterstock.com 54 | JANUARY 2022 | THINK
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzU4OQ==