Vintage items are all the rage now; exploring flea markets and thrift stores for items of yesteryear is an activity gaining more and more followers. All vintage devotees know to look for one factor: “Made in the USA” or a mark noting the city and state of manufacture. These items are still useful as they were built to last a lot longer than those made offshore that flooded our markets and closed down a number of factories for the past 40 years.
It appears we are now coming full circle. The new presidential administration and its focus on restoring USA-made goods has created many jobs, and many suppliers in our industry are very optimistic about the ripple effect.
Harris Cohen of All In One Line, observes that USA-made products are trendy again and on the upswing in demand. After years of declines in the USA manufacturing sector, consumers (end users) are now valuing quality over price. And, he adds, “there’s a feeling of helping our nation when choosing to purchase ‘Made in the USA’ promotional items. The government’s focus on promoting our nation’s manufacturing sector has been a huge help in driving demand for our domestically made products.”
Dan Kielman of American Made Cutlery has also seen an upswing in business. “’Made in the USA’ promotional products get noticed because they are unique enough to be a differentiator. There seems to be a renewed pride in giving American-made promotional gifts which has benefited our business,” he comments.
Stan Dohan of Allen Mugs relates that his company’s business has steadily escalated in the USA-made products sector. The company produces all the national party tickets’ ceramic mugs during the election cycles. “Every four years we enjoy a lot of publicity (some odd) asking us for whom we are producing more because, since 1959, the national ticket for which we have produced the most has won the general election.”
Domestically produced items are perceived with a higher value and quality, engender a higher level of confidence in product safety and generate an overall feeling of goodwill, according to Janine Cannici of VisionUSA. She has seen an increase in USA made items over the last few years, primarily due to cost of imported goods continuing to rise and product safety concerns are more prevalent.
The latter seems to be more prominent when considering USA-made promotional food and bodycare items, according to Sarah Hobson of Webb Company. “As far as other items in the line, it doesn’t seem to be as much of an important factor,” she says, adding that in 2017, Webb Company began manufacturing the round retail style lip balms in house “and sales skyrocketed.”
Those trendy round lip balms have been made very popular by millennials, and, says Carrie Lewis of BIC Graphic, “’Made in USA’ is now influencing the millennial generation, which is focused on both quality and value when it comes to spending. Members of this generation are dealing with employment challenges and are thus more compelled to do what they can to reinvigorate the US economy. “Millennials are also attracted to cause marketing – like supporting American small business – so they are more likely than other groups to purchase items associated with a particular cause,” she adds.
Still, there are holdouts, with many potential customers accustomed to shopping with you based on the belief that “overseas is cheaper.” There are compelling counterpoints you can offer to enlighten and potentially persuade your clients to select a product that is produced domestically.
Cannici explains that the number of buyers who believe that “Made in the USA” products are much more expensive is dwindling, as the cost of imported goods continues to rise and this shortening gap is being more noticed. “If there happens to be a slightly higher cost for a Made in USA item it can be easily justified,” she underscores. “Made in USA products support USA labor force and the carbon footprint of made in USA products is significantly less than imported goods.”
Gwen Brey of Beacon Promotions agrees, emphasizing, “US-made products are of much better quality than items bought overseas. The customer buying US made can take pride in supporting US companies and their employees.”
There is a consumer pull, too, as Lewis describes. Corporations such as General Electric, Apple and Wal-Mart are increasing their investment in “Made in USA” processes and products in response to customer demand.
There is a liability having a product with potentially harmful ingredients representing your company, points out Hobson. “How embarrassing would it be to be promoting breast cancer awareness with a lip balm that includes ingredients that have been directly tied to breast cancer?” He adds that with most domestic manufacturers, this type of example can be more easily avoided.
Additionally, Dohan points out, your clients will appreciate the fact that inventory of USA-made products tends to be more readily available, reducing delivery time, and is also much more reliable.
The growth of demand for and consumption of “Made in the USA” products is demonstrated in news media daily, with announcements of new businesses of all types officially opening doors, and larger corporations adding more jobs to increase product output. In our industry, suppliers have new developments that also demonstrate a reinvigorated product sector.
VisionUSA, says Cannici, has prioritized advertising and marketing dollars and sales efforts on its portfolio of Made in USA patented designs. “We feel this is the future of our brand,” she comments.
BIC Graphic, reports Lewis, has lowered the minimum order quantity on select sizes of BIC® Sticky Note™ notepads (manufactured in Minnesota) to 250 pieces. 
Webb Company purchased a new lip balm line to increase capacity and lead times to keep up with the demand, according to Hobson. This will produce triple the capacity of our current production and our lead times will be reduced to a three-to-five-day turnaround. “We also produced an automated pad printing machine that will allow for up to six spot colors and a larger imprint area. The lip balm line is already up and running and we’ll be offering the six-color printing by the end of the first quarter of 2018,” he anticipates.
Over at American Made Cutlery, Kielman reports, the design team has introduced a more stylish cutlery gift set box available in over 50 kitchen knife and cooking utensil gift sets.
According to Cohen, “The country is moving toward legalizing Cannabis. Promo will follow the almighty dollar, manufacturing products that will be tailored for dispensaries. Competition will be fierce and brand recognition will need to happen. In January, All-In-One® introduced a line of Cannabis Merch including a new Heaven Scent aroma pen infused with the scent of Cannabis. Sales are brisk and growing,” he reports.
Looking into the near future of Made in the USA promotional products, Lewis observes that with the current administration’s focus on domestic jobs and economy, people will respond with reinvigorated patriotism. “’Made in the products is an easy choice to support the economy when citizens are inspired by their love of country, want to be sure their neighbors have a job, or are looking for high quality standards,” she remarks. This year, 2018, is also an Olympic year – which traditionally increases patriotism and adding another reason end users will be seeking products made in the US.
Regardless of personal politics, Cohen emphasizes, “The majority of Americans want to make America great again; reinvigorating our manufacturing sector is paramount to achieving this vision. Incorporating US-made products into promotional campaigns also feeds into that success.”
CASE STUDIES
Janine Cannici of VisionUSA: “One client wanted to provide participants at its forum in Washington DC with a practical gift to take home. The patented SoupMug Soupreme was selected because it was a natural for educators at colleges to use in their daily lives on campus, promotes healthy living and, of course, is made in the USA. The Soup Mug Soupreme as part of the reception kit was distributed to participants as they checked in at the conference.”
Stan Dohan of The Allen Company: "In any given presidential election year since 1959, the political party that buys the most mugs from us has won every time.”
Josette Bosse of Bay State Specialty Co.: “Our K85 Multi-Use Measuring Spoon is my favorite go-to USA-made item that’s also under one dollar. Customers love to choose from the five color options and are always amazed by the measurements being on the opposite side. A recycling center decided to use these spoons to hand out at their county fair. They had a booth set up for residents to sign up to use their recycling facilities; they were given one of these spoons imprinted with ‘Does Your Recycling Measure Up?’, along with a pick-up schedule.”
Gwen Brey of Beacon Promotions: “A college recruitment department used the DriMark® H93 Trimark® highlighter in their recruitment of prospective students. The slogan ‘Highlighting our School’ and the school logo were imprinted on the front side of the marker. This highlighter has a back side that can also be imprinted, and they choose to imprint their website and school mascot on the back.”
Carrie Lewis of BIC Graphic: “As part of a cause-marketing campaign, BIC Graphic pledged a minimum of $100,000 per year to an organization working with US military veterans. Part of the program included a $2 donation per order of specially marked products. BIC® Sticky Notes™ saw a 15% average increase in order quantity over the prior year during the program as customers overwhelmingly supported this patriotic initiative. Total donations exceeded $325,000 (62.5% over goals) over the two-year program.”
Harris Cohen of All In One Line: “A domestic vodka manufacturer uses our USA-made Handy Cutter box cutters to promote its brand to bartenders as well as liquor and spirit retailers. Handy Cutters are kept on hand by its liquor distributors who give them to bartenders and liquor retailers, generating tons of brand recognition and goodwill. It also keeps this vodka brand in mind among servers and liquor retailers.”