Promotional apparel is

clothing Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natural ...

imprinted with a

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...

's name,

logo A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name it represents as in a wordma ...

or message. They include shirts, gloves, hats, jackets and any piece of clothing that can be incorporated in

marketing Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of certain attributes or themes to emph ...

and

communication Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inquir ...

campaigns. Promotional clothing is used to endorse a

product Product may refer to: Business * Product (business), an item that serves as a solution to a specific consumer problem. * Product (project management), a deliverable or set of deliverables that contribute to a business solution Mathematics * Produ ...

service Service may refer to: Activities * Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty * Civil service, the body of employees of a government * Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a pu ...

or company agenda. The importance of promotional apparel lies in the relationship that is generated between businesses and the public. Businesses require promotional items to help reach potential customers and clients. With promotional apparel, businesses are able to obtain exposure and brand recognition. Promotional apparel is usually distributed as handouts or shipped as bonus items to accompany a purchase.

History

The history of promotional products dates back to 1789, the first product being a commemorative button made for

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

and his campaign. Due to the success of the commemorative button, other items such as wood specialties, almanacs, and calendars slowly became available as promotional items. The next innovation to change the world of promotional merchandise would be that of Jasper Freemont Meek. In 1881, in an attempt to produce revenue for his printing business and to use his printing presses during their downtime, Meek partnered with Cantwell Shoes to print advertisements for the local merchant on the bags of school children. These bags would be distributed to the children and become almost a walking advertisement for Cantwell Shoes. Providing these promotional items not only provided more revenue for Cantwell, but also spawned a full-scale printing operation for Meek, who began printing logos and messages on bags, calendars, and other merchandise for the local merchants of

Coshocton, Ohio Coshocton is a city in and the county seat of Coshocton County, Ohio, United States approximately 63 mi (102 km) ENE of Columbus. The population was 11,216 at the 2010 census. The Walhonding River and the Tuscarawas River meet in Cos ...

. Meek is often credited as the father of promotional products. The industry of promotional products has evolved quite a bit to meet the needs of both the producer and seller of the promotional items. Two major organizations play a substantial role within the industry. One organization is the Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), which was founded in 1904 as a method used to address issues such as pricing, new ideas, and procedures. The other organization is the

Advertising Specialty Institute The Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) is a for-profit organization serving the advertising specialty industry (which mainly creates and distributes promotional products). Members of ASI include both manufacturers and suppliers of promotion ...

, or ASI, which was founded in 1950 by

Joseph Segel Joseph Myron Segel (January 9, 1931 – December 21, 2019) was an American entrepreneur. He was the founder of over 20 American companies, most notably QVC, an American television network, and the Franklin Mint, a producer of mail-order collectib ...

. Both of these organizations publish content and informational literature for promotional products and their suppliers.

Products and Uses

A large variety of products are available for businesses to use as promotional items. Promotional apparel may include: *

T-shirts A T-shirt (also spelled tee shirt), or tee, is a style of fabric shirt named after the T shape of its body and sleeves. Traditionally, it has short sleeves and a round neckline, known as a ''crew neck'', which lacks a collar. T-shirts are generall ...

Sweatshirts A sweatshirt is a long-sleeved pullover shirt fashioned out of thick, usually cotton cloth material. Sweatshirts are almost exclusively casual attire and hence not as dressy as some sweaters. Sweatshirts may or may not have a hood. A sweatshirt w ...

* Dress shirts *

Polo shirts A polo shirt, tennis shirt, golf shirt, or chukker shirt is a form of shirt with a collar. Polo shirts are usually short sleeved but can be long; they were used by polo players originally in India in 1859 and in Great Britain during the 1920s. ...

Headwear Headgear, headwear, or headdress is the name given to any element of clothing which is worn on one's head, including hats, helmets, turbans and many other types. Headgear is worn for many purposes, including protection against the elements, de ...

Aprons An apron is a garment that is worn over other clothing to cover the front of the body. The word comes from old French ''napron'' meaning a small piece of cloth, however over time "a napron" became "an apron", through a linguistics process cal ...

Scarves A scarf, plural ''scarves'', is a piece of fabric worn around the neck or head for warmth, sun protection, cleanliness, fashion, religious reasons, or used to show the support for a sports club or team. They can be made in a variety of differ ...

Flip flops Flip-flops are a type of light sandal, typically worn as a form of casual footwear. They consist of a flat sole held loosely on the foot by a Y-shaped strap known as a toe thong that passes between the first and second toes and around both side ...

Outerwear Outerwear is clothing and accessories worn outdoors, or clothing designed to be worn outside other garments, as opposed to underwear. It can be worn for formal or casual occasions, or as warm clothing during winter. List of outerwear *Academic g ...

Uniforms A uniform is a variety of clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are most often worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, se ...

While

screen printing Screen printing is a printing technique where a mesh is used to transfer ink (or dye) onto a substrate, except in areas made impermeable to the ink by a blocking stencil. A blade or squeegee is moved across the screen to fill the open mes ...

is a common method due to low costs and ability to produce a large amount, some suppliers provide embroidering. Emerging trends within fashion tend to be influential on promotional apparel and their design. It is crucial for suppliers to follow closely with creative new finishes, materials, and styles that will be popular with customers and clients. It is also important that the items are high-quality in material and design. The reputation of the business is associated with the quality of the product and can affect customer loyalty. Customers that receive high-quality promotional merchandise are more inclined to purchase from the business in the future. According to the 2016 ''ASI Ad Impression'' study, 85 percent of the individuals surveyed remembered the name of the company that distributed a promotional item. Consumers were also found to be 2.5 times as likely to hold a positive impression of a company that handed out a promotional product compared to just showing a digital advertisement.

References

{{Reflist Brand management Branding terminology

History

Products and Uses

See also

References