Promo Insiders: Which States Are Driving Growth in the Promo Industry?

Each year, the ASI State & Regional Sales Report gives you an exclusive look at promo sales across the United States. And unlike last year, the numbers in this year’s report are incredibly positive. All 50 states increased promo sales in 2021, and 30 of those states increased by double-digit percentages. The South and West posted growth of 16% and 13%, respectively, while the Midwest grew by 9% and the East by 7%. As the promo industry bounced back from the lows of 2020, the growth seen in 2021 was not typical historically. “In normal years we’ve seen growth rates as low as 2.5%, 3% by region,” says ASI Senior Executive Director of Research & Corporate Marketing Nate Kucsma, who puts together each year’s report. “If the industry might have gone up by 6% in a previous year, a lot of that 6% would be heavily weighted toward one or two of the regions. Definitely not all four. So no, in a normal year, these would be stagnantly large numbers. But even with that said though, in the abnormal year that 2021 was, they’re still very, very good.” In this Promo Insiders episode, Kucsma and ASI Media Editor-in-Chief C.J. Mittica examine the data in detail by spotlighting the states and markets that are driving growth in each region. Kucsma also shares the government data he looks to in creating the report, and offers his predictions on how the industry will fare for the rest of 2022.