Making predictions is a fool’s errand, but here at ASI we can’t help ourselves.

After making a series of predictions in our first Promo Insiders episode of 2023, we’re back at it again with a fresh round that divines what’s to come in 2024.

“Not all these are going to come true, obviously,” says Editor-in-Chief C.J. Mittica, “but the intention behind them is more important, because we're really taking into account the trends in the industry and where things are gonna go. Sometimes we can be wrong, but also be right.”

In this episode, Mittica and Executive Editor Sara Lavenduski unpack eight bold 2024 predictions for promo, touching on topics such as industry sales, the economy, high product prices and the future of Stanley. They also make their predictions for the 2024 product of the year (sure to be wrong) and explain why this year’s presidential election merch is going to be a letdown.

In the episode we reference Digital News Director Christopher Ruvo’s great 2024 predictions article, which are different but overlap with ours in some spots – be sure to read it. We also discovered this article from former Counselor Editor (now ASI Senior VP) Andy Cohen, who in 2014 wrote an Editor’s Letter predicting what the promo industry would look like in 10 years. It’s a kick to see what he got wrong, but more amazing, what he got right.