Pantone’s 2023 Color of the Year is Viva Magenta (PANTONE 18-1750), a “brave and fearless” new animated red “expressive of a new signal of strength” as a growing digital world emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, the company announced Thursday night.

“In this age of technology, we look to draw inspiration from nature and what is real,” says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. “PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta descends from the red family, and is inspired by the red of cochineal, one of the most precious dyes belonging to the natural dye family as well as one of the strongest and brightest the world has known."

Eiseman says, “Rooted in the primordial, PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta reconnects us to original matter. Invoking the forces of nature, PANTONE 18-1750 Viva Magenta galvanizes our spirit, helping us to build our inner strength.”

The PPAI Expo 2023, scheduled for January 9-12 in Las Vegas, will have Pantone 2023 Color of the Year Limited Edition Formula Guides at the Pantone booth inside Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Pantone 2023 Color of the Year shopping bags produced by Promo PSI will also be available. (Free PPAI Expo registration for PPAI members is still available until Monday, December 5.)

The Pantone Color of the Year announcement has become an inflection point for the art and fashion world, recalibrating trends for the coming year. The ripple effects reach the promo industry, too, as suppliers and distributors shape future product and marketing plans.

Each year, the Pantone Institute carefully selects a color that’s reflective of the world’s current landscape. The 2022 Color of the Year was -- the first brand-new, Pantone-created color chosen by the institute – symbolizing “the global innovation and transformation taking place.”

Additionally this year, Pantone has released a series of complementary colors it calls "the Magentaverse."

This year’s Color of the Year choice “sends a message of vibrant positivity” and “highlights our change of perspective” as the world moves forward from the pandemic, says Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute.

“We do feel this animated crimson red tone is reflective of this unique cultural moment,” Pressman said during the live announcement. “We are living in an unconventional time, time where we need to follow bravely and boldly, create a new vision and write a new narrative for ourselves.”

Logomark and Groupe Bugatti Inc. have announced an exclusive partnership for the distribution of Bugatti bags into the U.S. promotional market beginning in 2023 with a pre-launch now through December 2022.

• The Bugatti Group creates, designs, manufactures, imports and sells high-quality luggage, briefcases, handbags and accessories worldwide. Their bags are offered at popular retail stores including Nordstrom, Macy’s & Kohls.
• Logomark will initially release 13 backpacks, briefcases, hybrids and duffel bags from Bugatti across five of their collections, with plans to introduce more styles including rolling travel luggage in the second quarter of 2023.
• The newly released bags include the popular Reborn Collection backpack and hybrid duffel, which feature sleek, modern designs made of 100% recycled water-repellent polyester.

Gemline announced a strategic partnership with California-based retail brand Be Home.

• The partnership further expands Gemline’s retail brand portfolio and product offering in its fast-growing home, entertainment and lifestyle categories.
• Be Home has been designing beautiful, eco-friendly and ethically sourced home goods from around the world for over 16 years. Be Home products are sold in 2000+ retail accounts, including Williams-Sonoma, Anthropologie, Magnolia Market, and West Elm, among others.
• “We are thrilled to welcome Be Home to Gemline’s growing roster of best-in-class retail brands, and to introduce them to the industry, especially as they share our vision for responsibly made and beautifully-crafted consumer products,” says Frank Carpenito, President of Gemline. “Be Home’s commitment to design innovation and quality, and the fact their founders have focused on building relationships with family and women-owned artisan groups, multi-generational craftsmen, and independent makers, really resonated with us, and we believe it will resonate with our distributor partners and their customers as well.”

The paper used by Koozie Group (PPAI 114187, S13) in most of its calendars and all of its paper mouse pads, Souvenir Sticky Note pads and Souvenir scratch pad products now comes from facilities certified by either the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) or the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). These two organizations are the gold standard for responsible forestry management.

• The initiative is part of the company’s Keep It. Give It. vision that is built on four pillars, including environmental stewardship as well as fostering diversity & inclusion, safety & social responsibility, and giving back to employees & the community.
• Forests managed under the FSC and SFI must adhere to a strict set of guidelines. By choosing paper produced from certified forests, Koozie Group is ensuring that its supply chain supports the company’s environmental, social, and governance commitments. All three of Koozie Group’s domestic facilities received FSC and SFI certification in 2021.
• Starting with the 2023 product year, nearly 95% of Koozie Group’s calendars will be produced with FSC- or SFI-certified paper. The addition of the FSC/SFI logo will be a rolling process, with full implementation on 2024 calendars. The FSC logo has already been added to the backer sheets of Souvenir Sticky Note pads. All certified products are now identified on the company’s website.

Geiger (PPAI 105182, D12) has hired Stephanie Whitman as vice president of marketing.

• Whitman joins Geiger from Hussey Seating Company, a leading international seating manufacturer, where she previously served as manager of marketing operations.
• “I am thrilled to be joining this iconic business at a time of exciting opportunity,” Whitman said. “The rich history of the organization combined with serious investments in both people and acquisitions set Geiger on a path of impressive growth.”
• As vice president of marketing, Whitman will oversee marketing and corporate communications for Geiger’s international brand, which boasts more than 500 employees and 450 independent sales representatives.

The U.S. mid-term elections have come down to a close finish with, as of publication, the Democrats holding onto control of the Senate and the Republicans appearing to win a slim majority in the House.

The effects of this shift in legislative makeup will ripple through the country in myriad ways. For the promo industry, one outcome that bears watching is the elections’ impact on foreign trade.

Trade Policy

The 118th Congress – January 3, 2023, to January 3, 2025 – may shake up U.S. trade policy. With a divided legislature, observers expect much of the White House’s domestic agenda will likely be stalled but that possibilities exist for common ground in foreign and trade policy. Politico cites legislators on both sides of the aisle who see openings for more traditional free trade agreements in the years ahead.

• Due to their popularity with unions and domestic manufacturers, the Biden administration has largely maintained tariffs on certain Chinese imports put in place during the prior administration.
• In a sign of entrenching trade and geopolitical disputes between the countries, the U.S. in October announced prohibitions on the export of computer chips and chip fabrication equipment to China.
• This week, President Biden will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in Indonesia to discuss trade, Taiwan and other points of contention.
  
  

Trade policy has found bipartisan support in recent years, with the Trump administration’s U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement passing the House 385-41.

• Observers suggest that there may eventually also be pressure to rejoin the Trans-Pacific Partnership and other international agreements.
  
  

The Promo Perspective

“With a divided Congress… the President’s domestic agenda will become a bit more stifled,” says Brian Deissroth, CAS, senior key accounts manager at Augusta Sportswear, PPAI Regional Relations Committee chair and frequent Legislative Education and Action Day delegate at both the state and federal levels. “This will create room for foreign policy and trade initiatives.

“It is likely that the new Congress will look to adapt new trade policies given the aggressiveness of China in recent years. Republicans will seek to highlight trade and push the President on trade promotion authority, which allows for expedited Congressional approval on trade deals. The key to any legislation moving forward is bipartisan cooperation from both chambers.”

The promo industry has been dealing with the federal government’s Section 232 and 301 tariffs on Chinese imports since 2018 and has in many ways adapted to them. Deissroth says, “Because of the tariffs, buyers and end users seem to be leaning toward products and apparel that is not produced in China but rather produced in other nations.”

Advocacy

For several years, PPAI and its partners across U.S. industry have advocated against tariffs and other barriers to trade. In particular, the Association has pushed back against Section 232 and 301 tariffs levied against Chinese imports in 2018 stemming from an investigation of China’s intellectual property policies and practices.

• The tariffs were imposed on Chinese imports in four tranches. The third and fourth tranches significantly impacted the promotional products industry.
• Numerous exclusions affecting goods subject to tariffs stemming from the Section 232 and 301 investigations lapsed in December 2020. PPAI and its coalition partners successfully lobbied the U.S. Trade Representative to have those exclusions reinstated, retroactively, earlier this year.

American Solutions for Business celebrates achieving another record year of growth. During their annual home office update meeting, President of American, Justin Zavadil shared updates regarding projects and events happening within the home office and field, while VP of Finance, Bill Finley, shared updates regarding ASB’s growth and increased stock share value.

“It’s exciting to see the direction we’re moving as a company,” expressed Zavadil. “Together as a team, we’ve surpassed the goals that we set for this fiscal year. We attribute it to the hard work and dedication of our amazing salespeople, home office team and vendors.”

“2022 was another great year thanks to the efforts of the American team,” explained Finley. “We achieved record financial growth, allowing us to reach a stock share value increase of 37%. As an employee-owned company, this makes an incredible impact on all owners within American.”

OrderMyGear (PPAI 704581) has acquired BrightStores (PPAI 256593), the Denver-headquartered provider of online company stores for promotional product distributors. Dallas-based OrderMyGear, an online platform for selling custom-branded merchandise, announced the acquisition today.

The Sum Of Their Parts

OrderMyGear and BrightStores’s technology platforms both operate in the team sporting goods and promotional products spaces. Together, they will target the online needs of promotional product distributors, apparel decorators, and team dealers.

• The acquisition creates a fully configurable, feature rich online store solution to support complex, long-term use cases alongside OMG’s online pop-up stores.
• Existing clients will continue to use their existing online store solutions while gaining access to additional capabilities.
  
  

What They’re Saying

“Kent McKeaigg founded OMG in 2007 with a vision to create a simple way for team dealers to sell to groups online,” says Leonid Rozkin, CEO of OMG. “Dan Halama founded BrightStores more than 20 years ago with a similar vision for promotional product distributors. Both founders recognized the market was evolving and sales channels of the past wouldn’t scale.

“OMG and BrightStores have a shared vision to be the best online store provider in the market, and our complementary solutions and expertise allow us to do exactly that. The market continues to evolve, so we’re excited to help clients stay ahead of the game and grow their business online.”

Dan Halama, CEO of BrightStores, says, “We are thrilled to join forces with a like-minded organization that shares our passion for partnering with clients to grow their business. This partnership will continue to push the branded merchandise space forward.

“Our collective expertise is unmatched. With OMG’s history and leadership team, we will have more resources to innovate and serve our clients. We’ll be able to introduce more online sales strategies and use cases. This is exciting for the industry, our clients, and our team.”

PPAI has promoted two staff members to new positions serving Association members:

• Christina Sanders, PPAI’s awards and recognition manager and executive director of the Specialty Advertising Association of California (SAAC), now has the additional title of regional relations manager.
• Kathlene Brethowr, PPAI’s member engagement manager, is also the new executive director of the Promotional Products Education Foundation (PPEF).

Sanders has managed PPAI’s awards programs since 2010, overseeing the PPAI Pyramid Award Competition, the PPAI Hall of Fame and the Distinguished Service, Woman of Achievement, H. Ted Olson Humanitarian and Regional Volunteer awards.

In February, Sanders became executive director of SAAC, helping its board of directors guide the direction of the regional association while engaging with members and potential members.

As regional relations manager, Sanders will manage the relationship between PPAI and the promotional products industry’s 27 regional associations along with the Regional Relations Committee (RRC) – previously known as Regional Association Council).

“I look forward to working with the RRC and the regional associations to foster strategic partnerships that allow the associations and all our members to continue to grow and flourish,” Sanders says.

Brethowr, who joined PPAI in 2018, works with the PPAI Board of Directors and oversees the Association’s volunteer program and its summer conferences in her role as member engagement manager.

As executive director of PPEF, Brethowr will manage the Board of Trustees and all PPEF activities, including the scholarship program, fundraising activities and donor recognition initiatives.

Since 1989, the PPEF has awarded over $3 million in college scholarships to 1,618 promotional products industry employees and their children. This year, $299,000 in scholarship money was awarded to 130 new recipients and 32 renewal recipients.

“Through the incredible donations it receives, PPEF is able to provide a lasting impact on the lives of families and employees within the promotional products industry. This includes awarding four-year scholarships for college students, Friends of PPMN Scholarships for industry employees, Chairman’s scholarships for college juniors, or one-year scholarships for college students and trade school applicants,” Brethowr says. “I am looking forward to being part of this foundation and hopefully growing the impact it has on our industry and the families involved. I have always wanted to be in a career that allows me to play a part in changing lives, and PPEF does just that.”

On August 31, pre-installed Pantone Color Books were phased out of Adobe applications. While users rely on Pantone color options in their Adobe products, Pantone and Adobe are separate companies, which has presented issues in providing the most up-to-date Pantone services. Pantone libraries had become outdated with missing colors and inaccurate information.

The proprietary color design company says that purchasing Pantone Connect is the solution that will allow Adobe users to access all 15,000 Pantone colors.

What Impact Will The Phase Out Have?

The following Pantone Color Books will not be immediately affected by the change and will remain in the 2022 versions of Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign and Adobe Photoshop:

• PANTONE CMYK Coated
• PANTONE CMYK Uncoated
• PANTONE Metallics Coated

Existing documents containing Pantone References will keep those color identities.

Adobe Photoshop will be affected as follows:

• Photoshop files using swatches from Pantone Color Books, when opened, placed or edited in releases prior to August 2022, will continue to function as they did in those releases.
• Photoshop files with spot channels where the color used is from a non-available Color Book will open with a color rendering error.
• When the spot channels have color from non-available Pantone Color Books, the information is fetched from those Color Book for appropriate rendering. If the color is not fetched due to absence of parent Color Books, such spot channels will render in black/gray.
• The color details are preserved, so files will continue to support production workflows, but will display as gray/black when opening, placing or editing the file in Photoshop.

Adobe Illustrator will be affected as follows:

• Illustrator files having swatches from Pantone Color Books, when opened or placed in previous or future releases, will continue to function without any impact.
• When Illustrator files have place-linked Photoshop files that have spot channels, and such spot channels have colors from Color Books that are no longer available, placed Photoshop content will render gray/black in Illustrator.

InDesign files having swatches from Pantone Color Books, when opened or placed, in previous or future releases, will continue to function without any impact. When InDesign files contain Photoshop files that have spot channels and such spot channels have colors from Color Books that are no longer available, placed Photoshop content will render gray/black in InDesign.

Pantone Connect Can Be The Solution

All 15,000 Pantone colors and color design tools are available through Pantone Connect and will negate any of the above impacts of the phase out. 

Purchasing a Pantone Connect subscription ensures consistency and accuracy with Pantone’s offerings. The platform also allows for sharing and collaborating with team members and clients, supports a remote work environment and is accessible at all times through its app.

Features include:

• Search any colors.
• Pick any colors visually.
• Measure any colors in the physical world.
• Convert RGB/CMYK/HEX/L*a*b* data to closes Pantone Color.
• See Color Data, Color Psychology and Cross Reference against all Pantone Libraries.
• Build mood boards with Color Story.
• Accessibility support for color blindness.
• Compare color choices with Light & Dark Simulations.
• Share Palettes with anyone.
• Change and update shared palette in real-time.
• Trend and palette exploration

Pantone Connect is available through connect.pantone.com, IOS/Android mobile application or Adobe Extension in Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign.

Higher pricing for a Pantone Connect subscription will go into effect September 15, so there is still time to take advantage of lower pricing.