Promotional Products Aren’t Dead...But Search Has Changed

Posted by: Patrick Kenna on Apr 8, 2025

Promotional products have long been a cornerstone of brand visibility. From custom logo pens to branded water bottles, they’ve made their way from trade shows, employee welcome kits, and conference swag bags into your home. We’ve heard many thought pieces over the last couple of years claiming that “swag is dead” or that promo giveaways are no longer relevant, and with 4AllPromos’ 20+ years in the promotional product industry, our experts had to investigate.

Are people really done with swag? The short answer is no. If that were true, the industry wouldn’t be reporting record-breaking annual sales. What we’ve found is that the demand for branded items remains strong. These items have a high return on investment (opens in a new window) when cost-per-impression is considered, not to mention brand awareness and recall. People aren’t done with “promotional products,” the way they talk about them and search for them has shifted.

We analyzed five years of monthly search volume data for popular industry terms and uncovered some telling information. Like much of the world, the numbers reveal a pandemic-era dip, but what follows is where it gets interesting. We see search interest for “promotional products” coming back slowly but steadily, but it never makes a full recovery. A deeper investigation reveals a broader evolution in the language of promotional product searches. Our findings offer valuable insights into the lexicon shift and how to make the best decisions for your promotional marketing campaigns.

The Decline of “Promotional Products”

Over the last 10 years, search volume for one of the most recognizable queries in our industry, “promotional products”, shows a downward trendline. From its highest point in 2019, it dropped nearly 46% in 2020. To this day, it still hasn’t returned to its former peak.

This graph shows a moderate decline for the query “promotional products” through to 2019, followed by a dramatic drop in 2020 and a slow recovery until today. There is also forecasted performance into 2026.

This downward trend doesn’t mean businesses stopped using promotional items. In fact, industry sales data (opens in a new window) show that overall spending on promotional products has continued to grow. The disconnect between sales and search volume points to something more nuanced. The language and approach around giving these products is changing.

As search volume for “promotional products” declined, newer, more casual or purpose-driven terms like “branded merch” and “employee gift boxes” began to rise. Marketers today are searching with more specific intent. Instead of browsing a catalog of random giveaways, they’re looking for something more thoughtful, fitting a theme or interest. They want onboarding boxes and appreciation gifts or event handouts that align with their audience’s interests to create tailored, thoughtful brand touchpoints.

This evolution in terminology reflects a broader change in how companies view branded items. They are not just freebie giveaways anymore. They serve as strategic tools for connection, engagement, and long-term brand recall.

2020, Better Known As The Great Disruption

Like nearly every industry, promotional products experienced a sharp downturn in 2020. Budgets were paused, in-person events vanished, and working from home became the norm almost overnight. The result was a dramatic shift in how, when, and why companies invested in branded merchandise.

The data makes it undeniable. The average search volume fell nearly 30% for “promotional products” from 2019 to 2020. Total interest across a broader range of common promotional product search terms fell by 19% in the same timeframe. This data correlates closer with ASI’s 19.8% drop (opens in a new window) reported for 2020 distributor sales of promotional products.*

Promotional Product Search Volume Drop 2019-2020 The drop reflects the world that was around us. There were no trade shows, fewer offices to stock, and minimal face-to-face customer interactions. With traditional use cases on hold, many companies hit pause on their usual orders. But this wasn’t the end of promotional marketing, it was a pivot point.

What followed was not a disappearance of interest but a shift in focus. Companies began rethinking how to reach employees and clients in an increasingly digital world. As the data shows, that shift led to new kinds of branded items rising in search popularity, setting the stage for a recovery and, ultimately, growth.

*April 2020 was an outlier, seeing search volume for “swag” skyrocket. We suspect many companies were searching for swag and branded home office items to send to their now-remote workforce.

A Steady Recovery (and a Shift in Focus)

Starting in 2021, search volume began to rebound. But what’s notable is that the growth wasn’t completely driven by a return to the standard “promotional products” or “promotional items” queries. We start to see newer, more targeted, and long-tail search queries.

Queries Compared
“corporate swag” and “branded merchandise” both show upward trends and growth in search volume as “promotional products” volume has plateaued outside of seasonality.

Search volume across many key terms has steadily increased since 2021, yet the phrase “promotional products” has not reached the levels of its former popularity. Instead, businesses appear to be searching with more descriptors and specific goals in mind. We see increases in searches for “promotional gifts,” and “swag gifts,” along with long-tail searches like “promotional items with logo” instead of just “promotional items,” and searches for specific custom branded products.

The steady increase in search volume for these more intentional terms suggests that branded merchandise is still in demand, but it’s being applied more strategically. Businesses are placing greater value on usefulness, sustainability, and personalization (opens in a new window).

What This Lexicon Shift Says About Buyer Mindsets

Changes in Queries and Intent

The change in terminology reflects a deeper cultural shift in how promotional products are perceived and purchased. Instead of adding branding to any small cheap plastic item, people seek out sustainable options for bulk giveaways at trade shows and clever items that align more purposefully with the audience to attract. It also signals a move toward curated, thoughtful branding experiences.

Businesses are using custom promotional products more intentionally. Onboarding kits welcome new hires, company swag strengthens remote teams, and corporate gifts celebrate milestones with employees and clients.

This shift in language also hints at a younger, more culture-conscious audience. Words like “swag” and “branded merch” are more aligned with modern workplace lingo and startup culture, where internal branding and employee experience play a larger role.

Our customers may not be Googling “promotional products” as often, but our searches for specific promotional products and categories have increased. At 4AllPromos, our customers are still seeking branded items, even if there is less tolerance for disposable clutter. We strive to offer high-quality promotional items to meet these standards with eco-friendly collections, well-known brands, and corporate gifting options that make the Grinch’s heart grow three sizes!

What the Data Tells Us About the Future of Promotional Items

The search data reveals trends in terminology and highlights the evolving role of promo products. While the way people search has changed, the reason they continue to buy hasn’t. Promotional items remain a trusted way to build connections, show appreciation, and keep your brand in view.

From the data and shift in search behavior, here are our key takeaways:

Promotional products are still in demand, just under different names.

Even as the term “promotional products” struggles to reach previous search volume, interest in specific branded items remains strong. Today’s searches reflect clearer intentions for both clients and staff.

Quality and utility matter more than ever.

The old model of ordering hundreds of low-cost handouts is fading. Prioritize products that are useful, durable, and align with your brand. The most searched-for items are often those that recipients keep and use, like drinkware, bags, apparel, or tech accessories.

The best time to buy is still seasonal.

While the queries people are searching for have shifted, the way in which they search hasn’t. Data shows a consistent spike in interest leading into summer and again into Q4. This is typically when businesses prepare for summer events and trade shows, followed by holiday gifting and end-of-year employee recognition.

Sesonality

Not a Decline But A New Way To Search

If you're just looking at the search volume for “promotional products,” it might look like the market is fading. But zoom out and look deeper. Businesses are still investing in branded merchandise, but they’re doing so with more intention, strategy, and care. The terminology may be changing, but the purpose remains the same. Promo products build brand awareness and make lasting connections.

As language and the way we search evolve, preferences shift, and choosing the right product for the right audience at the right moment matters more than ever. Promotional products haven’t gone out of style. They’ve just found a new voice.