T-SHIRTS, PENS GROW AS MEDIUM FOR ADS

June 17, 1991

Sales of promotional T-shirts, ballpoint pens, calendars, and other specialty advertising products rose 11 percent in 1990 to $5 billion, according to the Specialty Advertising Association International, citing a survey by Baylor University in Waco, Texas. The increase surpasses the estimated 5 to 6 percent rise in spending for mass-media advertising. It reflects the tendency of marketers to invest more heavily in a targeted promotional activities, says marketing Prof. Marjorie Cooper, who administered the annual survey.