Promo Insiders: Top Takeaways From ASI’s 2026 U.S. Ad Impressions Study
ASI’s Nate Kucsma and Hannah Rosenberger dive into the key findings from the just-released 2026 Ad Impressions Study, which highlights the continued effectiveness and impact of promotional products.
For nearly 20 years, ASI’s Ad Impressions Study has demonstrated that promotional products are more than effective at winning consumer impressions – and opinion. The 2026 Ad Impressions report, which launched this week, is no different.
This year’s study highlights an expanded roster of product categories and tackles a wide variety of topics, ranging from the low cost-per-impression of promo items to which products consumers are most excited to receive.
In this week’s episode of Promo Insiders, ASI’s Senior Executive Director of Research Nate Kucsma joins Data Analytics Editor Hannah Rosenberger to talk through a few of the key findings in the final report and, more importantly, practical ways for suppliers and distributors to take advantage of the treasure trove of data.
“The statistics in there are interesting on their face,” Kucsma said. “But the real value in this is using the data to enable you to position promotional products to your clients in a favorable way versus other advertising they may be considering as part of their marketing mix.”
Read more about the 2026 Ad Impressions Study and download the full U.S. report here. The Canadian Ad Impressions report is set to be released in April 2026, with the third segment of the study, covering Mexico and much of Europe, to follow in May.
Key Takeaways
• ASI’s Senior Executive Director of Research Nate Kucsma and Data Analytics Editor Hannah Rosenberger introduce the 2026 Ad Impressions Study, the latest and significantly expanded version of a core ASI research initiative measuring the effectiveness of promotional products as an advertising medium.
• The study was originally launched in 2008 to fill a gap in the industry, providing data on cost-per-impression, consumer influence, ROI and more compared to other advertising channels. The 2026 edition significantly expands scope, covering 19 product categories and adding robust data across the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Europe.
• One of the core findings of the study is that promotional products continue to deliver extremely low costs-per-impression, maintaining strong value even in an inflationary environment.
• Consumer sentiment toward promo is overwhelmingly positive, with about 80% of recipients reporting a more favorable view of an advertiser after receiving a promo item.
• Product usefulness is the primary driver of retention, with practical items more likely to be kept and used over long periods. Many promotional products have long lifespans and low discard rates, often being kept for years or passed along, extending their advertising impact.
• While T-shirts remain the top-performing category in both sales and desirability, items like outerwear, food gifts and blankets represent underutilized opportunities.
• Ultimately, says Kucsma, the study is designed as a practical sales tool, giving distributors data and visuals to strengthen client proposals and marketing efforts. The findings arrive at a key moment, helping industry professionals justify and potentially increase promo spend amid tighter budgets and increased scrutiny.