The goal of promotional products isn’t solely to increase brand visibility, but also to create brand loyalty that stems from positive consumer experiences. In recent years, the consumer experience has expanded to include the very first impression end-users have of a brand: the packaging a promo product arrives in.

Custom packaging, like this box created by Quad (asi/232306) can help elevate a promo kit.

“I think the headline is: It goes in a box anyway, so why not make that an experience?” Oliver Kimberley says. “When it’s already in a box, you may as well invest in the box and deepen that experience – start the brand journey, start the experience of what’s in the box before they’ve even touched the box.”

Kimberley, general manager of managed services at Sussex, WI-based marketing service provider Quad (asi/232306), says the melding of packaging and promo reflects the experience of buying higher-end goods like a watch or a cell phone.

“You spend time sort of unboxing, and that’s a great part of the experience,” he says. “I think that now is translating as an extension of the promotional products world, because that’s what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to create a feeling; you’re trying to create an energy around a brand.”

The rise of unboxing culture has only bolstered the opportunity of combining packaging and promo. Jenna Mackowiak, creative director at Premier Press (asi/298581), a Portland, OR-based creative production company specializing in custom packaging and promotional products, explains that brands now consider how a package impacts consumers beyond delivering a good.

“The brand moment has evolved beyond the product alone,” Mackowiak says. “It lives in the unboxing experience shared on social media, in the voices of ambassadors and influencers who carry the message and in how the brand shows up post-launch – whether on a retail shelf or in everyday life.”

Planning for Packaging & Promo

The pairing of promo and packaging isn’t as straightforward as putting products in a box. Kimberley points out that the packaging experience is sometimes treated as an afterthought, with the promo within moving from concept to final form before packaging design is planned. This can create a disjointed experience for consumers, so Kimberley recommends planning both aspects from the get-go.

“It starts from day zero,” he says. “When you decide you have a need for a product, you should think about how to pair the package with that product right from the beginning, because otherwise it can be off message; otherwise, it can be a misfit. If it’s not planned from the beginning, that supply chain end to end is complex and can go wrong in so many places.”

That said, Geoff Brown, account director at Premier Press, says the timing of collaboration between packaging and promo teams is often dependent on each project’s unique priorities.

“Every project has its own center of gravity,” Brown says. “Sometimes, it’s driven by the promotional product itself; other times, it’s anchored in a broader campaign or event. There are cases where the campaign leads the strategy, and a promotional product is thoughtfully integrated later to reinforce and extend that message. The key is recognizing what drives the initiative and aligning packaging and promo accordingly.”

Production Considerations

In terms of the packaging itself, Shannon Uchida, marketing communications specialist at Premier Press, says choosing the right substrate is essential in creating the right experience for consumers.

“Your first brand impression happens before the product is even revealed,” Uchida says. “Material choice immediately signals intent. If sustainability is central to your message, corrugate or uncoated stocks reinforce that commitment. If the goal is luxury, details like embossing and foil create a sense of elevation from the very first touch. That initial tactile interaction sets the tone for everything that follows – even before the promotional or campaign item inside is seen.”

Packaging sets the tone for everything that follows, according to Premier Press (asi/298581), which created this box for a haircare company.

Digital printing technology can further elevate the experience. Because digital printing lends itself to short runs and variable data printing (VDP), the packaging for a promo product can be hyper-personalized.

Kimberley offers this example: A company that wants to give a box of candy to its employees as part of an employee recognition program could use VDP to personalize each box with the recipient’s name – meaning the company can print one-of-a-kind packaging for each item.

“I know from a customer perspective, they’re often surprised about the ability to produce literally one of something,” Kimberley says. “In 2026, it’s a pretty new thing that’s going on. There’s obviously a cost reflected in that. If you produce 10,000 of something, the unit cost isn’t the same as producing one, and the way you would get it produced isn’t the same either. But the ability to truly do full variable printing and messaging on just one piece is a really cool thing for our clients.”

Mackowiak agrees that personalizing both the packaging and the product within it is an excellent way to build consumer affinity with a brand.

“I don’t think you can have a better brand moment than when it’s personalized,” she says.

For example, one influencer campaign Premier Press did for a makeup brand included earrings that matched the initials of the recipient, as well as makeup products that matched the recipient’s skin tone. Taken together, these customized components made for a unique experience for each recipient – one designed to strengthen connection to the brand.

Pairing promo products with thoughtfully planned packaging creates significant potential for brands to stand out in their customers’ eyes. However, it can also present new challenges.

“By combining the two, you’ve made the execution quite a bit harder,” Kimberley says. “You’ve got more components coming in from more different places, and so [brands must] be thoughtful about picking the right partner that has the expertise and that deeper experience across both packaging, the design side, the promotional products, and then fulfillment and distribution. You need to find that right partner for all of that.”

Ultimately, pairing packaging and promo doesn’t work if the item selected or the packaging design doesn’t align with the brand’s messaging and audience.

“Packaging and promo have to speak the same language as the brand,” Brown says. “If you don’t fully understand your client’s market – who they’re targeting, what resonates and how they position themselves – you risk missing the mark. The product and the packaging have to work together to reinforce the message, not distract from it.”