in this edition of marketingedge magazine...
The November 2025 Fall/Winter edition of marketingedge magazine spotlights 10 overlooked but exciting products from NATCON that deserve attention before year-end planning. With the economy cooling, “Resilient Branding” offers strategies inspired by past downturns to help brands thrive. Fashion coverage includes “The Great Canadian Warm Up,” showcasing outerwear styles keeping Canadians cozy and stylish from rink-side seats to city streets. For a creative twist, AI reimagines classic 1990s Canadian campaigns for the modern 2026 market—smart, fun, and retro. This issue blends innovation, strategy, style, and nostalgia to inspire marketers preparing for the year ahead.
Contributors: Joshua Paxton, Steve Whigham
Cover photo: Branding Warmth, an Ai-created image
I hate the term
"trinkets and trash".
As an industry professional who has spent multiple decades providing companies of all sizes with custom branded solutions my passion for our industry runs deep. Many years ago that slang was used as I entered a meeting and I knew it was time to make a change.
marketingedge was born from a desire to position ad specialties in a new light, taking inspiration from high fashion and other industry publications to showcase how promotional products and branded apparel can have purposeful messaging and meaningful impact through creative design.
Since 2008, the marketingedge team have worked to evolve the "swag" conversation, striving to present relatable topics and case stories that inspire suppliers, distributors, agents and buyers to re-think the way they select, decorate and share their branded promotional products, uniforms, awards and more.
Our mission statement is "to elevate promotional products in the marketing mix".
We value innovation, creativity and brand engagement. Thank you for sharing your time with us.
We hope the information and inspiration we share is of value to you.
- Steve Whigham, founder/publisher
discover media kits, contributor profiles, our mission and story