D – REALLY effective, REALLY communicative, REALLY personal – just three of very many good reasons for placing one’s bets on haptic advertising. Under the new motto “Advertising for REAL” it once again became very clear at HAPTICA® live ’25 at the WCCB in Bonn which fascination haptic advertising media can have, which power it can enfold and how much joy occupying oneself with it brings. The exhibitors and visitors were impressed.
“From the very beginning we devised the concept of the HAPTICA® live in such a way that it not only offers a platform for networking, constructive discussions, new contacts and good business, but that it also provides added benefit for the genre marketing of the promotional product,” explained Till Barth, HAPTICA® live Project Manager of the organisers, WA Media. “We want to demonstrate and make it tangible that haptic advertising isn’t losing significance in today’s digital era – on the contrary: What haptic advertising stands for – authentic experiences in the real world, direct sensual experiences, immediate touchpoints with the target group – is becoming more and more valuable in an increasingly virtualised environment and attracts a totally different kind of attention compared to digital or classic media. To accentuate this special characteristic of promotional products and merchandising, we decided to introduce the motto ‘Advertising for REAL’ for the concept of this year’s HAPTICA® live.“
REALLY diversified
The programme, which Barth and the WA Media team put together, underlined this demand in the form of different ways to inform oneself about and let oneself be inspired by promotional products and their fields of application.
105 exhibitors presented a wide spectrum of products – from high-quality brand items through to the fresh ideas of young start-ups. Again and again, experienced product scouts can find providers among the suppliers that they haven’t come across at other industry trade shows yet and whom they haven’t worked together with before. Finnish designer products met up with individually designable magmojis for the decoration of mobile phones, multifunctional drinking bottles with colourful trolleys, stylish globes with cranes made of building blocks.
Re- and upcycling products that were found at many of the stands were a major trend theme: From pens made of newspapers or discarded teamwear, to bottle openers made from old trade show carpets and cups comprising of coffee grounds, through to candlestick holders from former glass bottles.
The “Experience of Haptic Advertising” is not just a product show, it also strives to demonstrate how items can be successfully integrated into campaigns. This is why the Best Practice Show that showcases successful implementations all over the world has been an integral part of the event ever since the first HAPTICA® live in 2013. This year the visitors were able to gain inspiration among others from the merchandising programmes of Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Rhein Fire Düsseldorf or Seattle Kraken or discover how erotic playing cards or matryoshka dolls support awareness campaigns about skin cancer and species protection.
REALLY informative
Furthermore, the lecture programme, during the course of which renowned companies present how they implement promotional products and merchandising in their marketing practice, is also an indispensable aspect of the HAPTICA® live.
Markus Ausetz and Joachim Klein from the NRW Department of Justice got the ball rolling with their lecture about the implementation of haptic advertising media in PR and personnel marketing and subsequently got the socks flying through the audience. Nicole Matthias, Marketing Manager Carbonated Softdrinks at PepsiCo. was next in line with her lecture about the branding concept of Pepsi.
Steven Baumgaertner (cyber-Wear) and Boris Schwerdt (Global Brand Concepts) invited the audience to join them in the probably most sensual bar in the world at lunchtime. They are part of the Hapticologist Initiative, which aims to present haptic advertising to the online marketing world at the OMR in Hamburg. Subsequently, Sonja Vonk from Bayer 04 Leverkusen presented masterly merchandising, whilst Sven Scharr from Suggle, an agency that specialises in HR marketing, highlighted the significance of corporate fashion for internal branding. The lectures were all well-attended, the programme was both diversified, entertaining and informative.
The FACThibition is devised for visitors, who want to occupy themselves more intensively with a theme. This year the exhibition presented exciting background information on the theme Slow Fashion in an extremely appealing manner. Several examples of products demonstrated that the theme has also arrived on the promotional products market and that it is becoming increasingly more important.
WA Media provided even more information in the form of a brochure that is also available as an eBook: In line with the motto of the trade fair “Advertising for REAL”, eight arguments were listed, which explain which advantages there are in implementing haptic advertising in the marketing mix. Every argument was supported by an appropriate item: For example, sun cream demonstrated that promotional products are “REALLY effective”, a ballpoint pen with a relief imprint made the message “REALLY tangible” extremely haptic and as popular messengers of all the campaigns, “REALLY cute“ display cleaners in the form of sweet plants with huge eyes were representative for all promotional products and showed how practical usage and charm can be combined in haptic advertising media.
REALLY alive
Products like the cute Evergreenies attracted the visitors in flocks. Overall, the exhibitors certainly couldn’t complain about a lack in interest: In total 1,134 visitors attended the HAPTICA® live ‘25 and ensured bustling aisles and stands especially in the morning and early afternoon. They keenly followed the demonstrations of product highlights, but also promised to place concrete enquiries and forthcoming orders.
With its open visitor concept the HAPTICA® live addresses all target groups that are professionally involved with haptic advertising: From the buyers of large companies, to marketing specialists and HR Managers, through to the employees and executives from advertising agencies, the promotional products trade as well as from printing companies, embellishers and other marketing service providers. The audience is accordingly diversified: In addition to local DAX companies, authorities, ministries or NGOs, many well-known brands, but also hidden champions, medium-sized companies from the technology, mechanical engineering and service sectors find their way to Bonn as well as self-employed creative heads or consultants with in some cases wide-ranging or very specialised clients.
On the one hand this is a challenge for the exhibitors to cater to the needs of the different target groups, on the other hand this diversity is precisely what makes the event so appealing. All of the participants highly appreciate this diversity in the meantime – of the exhibitors and users, but also many distributors, who partly attend the event together with their customers to inform themselves. Overall, a cheerfully positive and optimistic mood prevailed at the event, which was further boosted by the springlike weather.
“Thanks to our open visitor concept and the extensive supporting programme, we offer an event that has several USPs among the densely occupied event calendar of the promotional products industry. This year’s event demonstrated that this offer is well-accepted and appreciated by the market. We are REALLY happy,” the Project Manager Barth summed up.
The next edition of the HAPTICA® live is scheduled to take place on March 18, 2026, once again at the WCCB in Bonn.
// Dr. Mischa Delbrouck
Photos: Thomas Gebhard, Sabine Klüser, Beke Milas, © WA Media; Bernadett Yehdou
