Brisbane-based promotional-products company Brand Surge recently entered the Australian market as new industry research examines whether branded merchandise actually influences customer behaviour.

Brand Surge launched on 16 April 2026, entering Australia’s promotional-products market with a focus on delivery reliability and branded merchandise.

Director Mark Crotty has 21 years of experience in the office supplies industry, including the past 10 years in promotional merchandise and branded workwear.

Crotty says his experience exposed recurring problems with late deliveries and unclear supplier timelines, which he believes can damage businesses well beyond the immediate cost of an order.

“I’ve spent 21 years in the office supplies industry, with the last 10 also focused on promotional merchandise and branded workwear,” Crotty said in a public LinkedIn statement.

“Long enough to know that late deliveries and vague timelines aren’t just frustrating – they cost businesses real money and real credibility,” he said.

“Long enough to know that late deliveries and vague timelines aren’t just frustrating – they cost businesses real money and real credibility,” he said.

Crotty says Brand Surge was created in response to those problems, describing the business as an Australian-owned supplier of promotional merchandise and branded workwear.

The company supplies branded drinkware, bags, apparel, headwear, stationery, technology products and corporate gifts, with premium, express and eco-focused collections also available.

April’s launch came as new industry research challenges businesses to look more closely at what happens after branded merchandise is handed to a potential customer.

Research released by the Australasian Promotional Products Association found 77% of surveyed recipients had purchased from a brand after receiving promotional merchandise.

The same research found 81% could recall the brand shown on merchandise they had received, while 66% subsequently visited the brand’s website or social media channels.

Sustainability is also becoming a bigger consideration, with 55.8% of surveyed buyers saying it was important or extremely important when purchasing branded merchandise.

The findings suggest the industry’s challenge is no longer simply putting a company logo on a product, but selecting merchandise recipients actually want to keep and use.

That issue is particularly relevant to Brand Surge, which promotes practical products and says it wants merchandise to remain useful rather than become disposable advertising.

The broader market is substantial, with APPA reporting in May that a preliminary global impact study estimated US$331 billion worth of branded merchandise was sold worldwide during 2025.

Australia’s promotional-products industry is also facing changing expectations around sustainability, supply chains, product safety and information supplied to larger corporate customers.

APPA has warned that mandatory climate reporting requirements will increasingly affect smaller promotional-products suppliers indirectly, as larger companies demand more sustainability information from their suppliers.

For Brand Surge, the challenge will be turning its stated focus on reliability, product selection and service into a measurable advantage in an already crowded Australian market.

For businesses buying promotional products, that shifts the calculation from the upfront cost of merchandise to whether the product earns its place in front of customers.

The new company is entering that market with a proposition built around simplifying ordering and improving delivery reliability, according to statements from its director.