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I enjoyed reading the Direct From Market report by Meredith Schwartz that contained information about promotional products at the Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair on May 5. Your readers may also be interested to learn that the Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) just released its annual promotional products industry sales estimate — the most comprehensive estimate in the marketplace.

In 2005, promotional products topped $17.8 billion — a new record — and signals the third year of consecutive growth. That sum is also more than the amount spent on outdoor advertising, cable TV ads or Internet display ads.

The official media release can be found by clicking the press releases link on ASI’s website, at www.asicentral.com/mediacoverage

—Scott Fuhr, Corp. communications manager, Advertising Specialty Institute, Trevose, Pa

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