Promotional products rank as the number-one advertising channel in every major US region — per publicly available ASI summaries from the Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) 2023 Ad Impressions Study. The pattern holds in the East, West, South, and Midwest, making promotional products the only advertising format in the study with top-ranked preference across all four geographic segments. No other channel — not TV, not social, not digital display — matches that consistency.
What does "number-one by region" actually mean?
The ASI 2023 regional data captures recipient preferences across a nationally representative sample, broken out by the four standard US Census Bureau regional divisions. For each region, respondents ranked advertising formats by how favorably they recalled and perceived them. Promotional products topped every regional ranking.
That result is worth unpacking. Regional preference data for advertising channels usually reveals gaps — TV performs better in some markets, out-of-home in others, digital in coastal metros. Promotional products don't show that variation. The appeal is structurally consistent because it doesn't depend on media consumption patterns that vary by region. A recipient in rural Mississippi and a recipient in San Francisco both receive a physical item that has use-value independent of what media they watch or scroll.
Per publicly available ASI summaries from the ASI 2023 Ad Impressions Study, the regional rankings are:
| US Region | Rank of promotional products (ASI 2023) | Second-ranked format |
|---|---|---|
| East | #1 | TV advertising |
| West | #1 | Social media |
| South | #1 | TV advertising |
| Midwest | #1 | TV advertising |
Per publicly available ASI summaries from the ASI 2023 Ad Impressions Study.
What drives the regional consistency?
Three structural factors explain why the regional ranking doesn't shift. First, promotional products are distributed through channels that aren't media-dependent — trade shows, corporate events, retail purchases, and direct mail don't require a media market to be active. A trade show in Dallas and an annual conference in Seattle both generate promotional product distribution with the same format.
Second, the utility-first nature of better promotional product categories — drinkware, bags, outerwear, tech accessories — creates use-value that survives any regional media environment. A recipient who doesn't watch linear TV still uses a branded tumbler daily.
Third, the national distribution infrastructure for promotional products is mature. Suppliers reach all four regions with similar lead times and category depth, which means buyers in every market have access to the full range of item quality that drives favorable perception.
What this means for national program buyers
Regional consistency is a genuine procurement simplification. A buyer running a national promotional product program doesn't need to adjust item selection or channel mix by geography — the same item performs well across markets. Compare that to a national TV buy, which requires market-by-market rate negotiation, or a national out-of-home campaign, which requires regional creative adaptation.
At Promolistic, national program orders span all four US regions without meaningful variation in category preference. Bags and totes, drinkware, and tech accessories are the top-performing categories in all four regions at roughly the same rank order. The occasional regional variation — outerwear skewing slightly heavier in Midwest orders, for example — is an item-selection consideration, not a channel-selection one.
The implication for brand buyers: promotional products are the default national channel that requires the least regional customization to be effective. That makes them especially efficient for organizations running programs across multiple business units or geographies from a single procurement team.
How this fits in the market size and research cluster
The regional ranking data connects directly to the broader picture of the US promotional products market and why it sustains $27B+ in annual revenue across a geographically diverse country. The US promotional products market size post covers the market structure, regional distribution of the industry, and how distributor and supplier networks are distributed across the four regions.
For the complete index of industry research on promotional product performance, the industry research pillar covers all data across categories and demographics.
National program staples — top performers across all US regions
Silicone Key Ring Tumbler Shaped - 3 in
Tumbler Sling rPET Neoprene 40 oz Pouch - 4 x 9 x 3 in
Glass Tumbler Borosilicate with Silicone Sleeve - 32 oz
Insulated Tumbler Recycled AS Double Wall with Straw - 40 oz
BruMate Togosa Insulated Tumbler Dual Lid System - 50 oz
Sources
- Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) — Ad Impressions Study, 2023. Member-gated. Regional ranking data cited per publicly available ASI press release summaries.
- Promolistic — First-party buyer data and regional order distribution from 16,000+ SKU catalog, internal order analytics.
