PRESS RELEASES
ASI Honors Most Creative Marketing Campaigns in the Promotional Products Industry
Winning companies prove the power of branded merchandise to tell stories, deepen connections and drive ROI
“These winners show the incredible versatility of branded merchandise to spark emotions, build community and move the needle for businesses of every size.” - C.J. Mittica
The Advertising Specialty Institute® (ASI), the leading authority in the $26.6 billion promotional products industry, today announced the winners of the 2025 Counselor Promo Campaign Awards, honoring the most innovative and effective marketing campaigns that used logoed items to make a measurable impact.
This year’s winners showcased the many ways distributors and suppliers are leveraging branded merchandise, custom packaging, video, events and sustainability to elevate storytelling, engage clients and generate real business results.
Read full details on each of six campaigns on ASIcentral.com/news.
“The best promo campaigns don’t just hand out products – they deliver experiences,” said C.J. Mittica, ASI Media editor-in-chief. “These winners show the incredible versatility of branded merchandise to spark emotions, build community and move the needle for businesses of every size.”
2025 Counselor Promo Campaign Award Winners:
· Best Distributor Self-Promotion – Boost Engagement (asi/326300). This Dayton, OH-based company reimagined its annual CultureFest end-user event with a travel-themed, gamified format. Attendees received branded travel kits, stamped “passports” for raffle entries and experienced a high-energy fashion show. The campaign generated 114 orders and $248,000 in direct revenue while reinforcing brand storytelling and client collaboration.
· Best Supplier Self-Promotion – Keepsake Products USA (asi/64180). The NJ-based supplier dazzled with a Hollywood-style “Star Box” complete with personalized LED-lit stars, Ray-Ban sunglasses, scent pods, video screens and popcorn aroma. With a 95% engagement rate and high-value follow-up orders, the campaign demonstrated the power of premium packaging.
· Best Distributor Client Promotion – Whitestone (asi/359741). To help Rice University attract prospective students, Whitestone designed a custom brick-building kit featuring Rice’s owl mascot. Shipped to 5,500 high school counselors, the desk-worthy gift sparked social media buzz, delivered referrals and cemented Rice’s reputation as innovative and student-focused.
· Best Sustainability-Driven Campaign – Proforma (asi/300094). Counselor Top 40 companies Proforma and PCNA (asi/66887) worked together on a sustainable self-promo kit featuring a silicone food container, BPA-free straw topper, recycled tumbler and FEED organic tote. The campaign achieved higher-than-average response rates, boosted sustainable product sales by 69% in 90 days and led to appointments with billion-dollar companies.
· Best Integrated Print & Promo Campaign – Grossman Marketing Group (asi/215205). The distributor created a curated travel kit for EF Go Ahead Tours with perfectly matched print and promo items, including luggage tags, caps, cookbooks and tote bags, with the box itself making a splash. The premium, Pantone-matched kit elevated the travel experience and reinforced EF’s luxury branding, impressing at first glance – in unboxing and on the road.
· Best Use of Video – Hirsch (asi/61005). For April Fools’ Day, the Counselor Top 40 supplier rolled out a music video for fake apparel brand, Hugnificent Onesies, starring founder Peter Hirsch dancing in a onesie. The prank drove a 120% boost in Facebook engagement, a 92% jump in Instagram reach and strong email results, proving humor and creativity can bring suppliers closer to customers.
For more info on this or any other ASI Media awards competition, contact C.J. Mittica at cmittica@asicentral.com.
