Promotional Trends for 2012
As the New Year is rapidly approaching, manufacturers in the promotional industry have begun revealing their new lines. With this, we are able to see some popular trends that are anticipated for 2012. Below is a quick summary of what you can expect from the Ad Specialties industry in the coming year.
USA Made
2012 is an election year, so USA Made items will be in high demand. Luckily, the promotional products industry is prepared for this and manufacturers of both apparel and promotional products are releasing new USA Made items in many popular product categories. While this is a trend that seems to resurface every four years along with the ballot boxes, those companies who prefer to buy USA Made every year can look forward to having a larger selection in 2012.
Unavoidably Eco
The eco-friendly category remains one of the fastest growing areas of promotional products. It has expanded to include products that are made from recycled, organic, or renewable materials as well as those that are biodegradable. It also includes gadgets that are run by renewable power sources and items that encourage greener habits in the recipient. While this category is not new, the heavy expansion will make it easy to add a green element to almost any promotion.
Cutting Edge Casual
These days, a casual work environment has become fairly common. People are moving away from suits and ties and more towards tees, especially in industries involving technology and innovation. Stimulated by the partiality of the younger dominating workforce, companies are willing to spend more to have fashion forward t-shirts in order to give their employees a casual dress code while maintaining a tasteful appearance. This will make trendy casual apparel from bigger retail brands a much more dominant category in 2012.
Interactively Entertaining
Marketing campaigns are becoming much more interactive. People in all industries have begun allowing, and even encouraging their customers to actively participate in their branding. They are doing this through opening up dialogues on social networking sites, sending coupons to mobile phones or even creating video games to deliver content to their audience. These different methods have become extremely effective, as they make learning company info both rewarding and fun. Promotional products that support this type of interaction with the recipient will be big in 2012. For your next giveaway, consider using custom printed web keys that direct people to a website or have a QR code printed in addition to your logo.