32 • JULY 2026 • PPAI It’s not about just producing a bigger number. It’s about creating tangible metrics that policymakers will understand by going well beyond traditional signposts such as distributor sales. This study doesn’t stop at “traditional” promotional products (more later on what that means). So, yes, you’ll see a bigger number when the final version of the study is released later this year – think in the hundreds of billions. But what PPAI is also equipping its members and the industry community with is a stronger foundation for advocacy. Whether you’re a small business making a case in your local economy or massive job creator contending with tariffs and supply chain challenges, you’re part of a global community that has a significant impact on the GDP of more than 200 countries. This study not only proves that, but it’s a resource to make that case to the policymakers who can effect change. “This is really the first study of its kind,” says Alice Gambarin, associate director at Oxford Economics. “It aims to look at the industry from end to end.” What exactly does that entail? As you can probably imagine, that’s not a short answer. We can start by pointing out four core objectives of the study: 1. Go Beyond Traditional Sales Data – This means extending the analysis an extra step into metrics such as GDP, taxes, job creation and supply chain impact. 2. Map The Industry’s Global Linkage – Measuring branded merchandise activity across the world. 3. Capture The Entirety Of The Supply Chain – “Supplier, distributor and client” doesn’t Must Read | Something BIG Is Coming “This work will help show the scale, credibility and future growth potential of an industry that has often been underestimated.” –Alok Bhat, market economist and PPAI’s research and public affairs lead The Numbers That Matter By creating a larger and more accurate economic value chain from which to draw insights, the global economic impact study can accomplish the initial objective of moving beyond sales data to metrics that policymakers are more comfortable with. Below are a few of those metrics: -Gross Domestic Product: Measures the value of all final goods and services produced in an economy in one year. GDP is the main indicator of a country’s economic activity and is used to measure growth or contraction. -Employment: The number of people employed, including partially, in the industry effort. -Tax Receipts: Total taxes supported by the industry’s economic activity for governments across the globe. tell the entire economic story when it comes to branded merch. 4.Understand The Scope Of Industry Sales – Go beyond what people consider “traditional promotional products.” “Branded merchandise reaches across the entire world, connecting marketing, licensing, e-commerce, retail, manufacturing, trade and end-buyer demand,” says Alok Bhat, market economist and PPAI’s research and public affairs lead. “This work will help show the scale, credibility and future growth potential of an industry that has often been underestimated.” ‘The Branded Merch Ecosystem’ Attendees of this year’s PPAI North American Leadership Conference were given a glimpse of preliminary results of the study. But soon, the final version of those numbers will be a resource to the entire branded merch community. To actually understand the scope of industry sales is to admit that prior sales numbers have been doing something of a disservice to what this industry encompasses. Anyone who has walked the aisles at The PPAI Expo can tell you that this is an industry too diverse in its offerings to be saddled with the notion of what many people consider “promotional products.” That’s why you’ve seen a shift in language coming from PPAI to the term branded merchandise. What’s being referred to with branded merchandise – the range of possibilities that you see at The PPAI Expo, from food to apparel to pens to experiential activations and beyond, whether gifted or sold to consumers – is more economically meaningful than traditional promotional products sales suggest. “Moving from promotional products to branded merchandise isn’t just semantics,” says Drew Holmgreen, CAS,
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