D – In today's era of digitalisation and standardisation of marketing content and processes, haptic advertising is considered to be a stronghold in the Google, Meta, and X empires. Individual, emotional, authentic, sensory, direct in its appeal and immediate in its impact, it is possibly the only form of advertising, the recipient expresses gratitude or even pays for, in the form of merchandising.

On March 18, visitors of the HAPTICA live in Bonn directly experienced why merch is becoming more and more important in the marketing mix, the power and positive energy giveaways, premiums & co. can enfold, how haptic advertising fascinates people and inspires brands. The "Experience of Haptic Advertising" was held for the 14th time in the exhibition halls and light-flooded foyer of the World Conference Centre Bonn and amid radiant spring weather offered the in total 1,065 visitors from marketing, procurement, HR and Sales, from advertising agencies and the promotional products trade a truly explosive display of ideas in an absolutely feel-good atmosphere.

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Magnus Schweers, Director Distribution Audio and Brand Management at WDR, ascertained: "From the moment you walked in, you had the feeling you were in the right place. Everything seemed exceptionally professional, while at the same inviting. The well-planned organisation, the high-quality exhibitors, the many stimulating conversations – it all had an effortless quality that can't be planned and only arises when many people work exceptionally well together. I left with a host of new thoughts and inspirations."

"Impressive diversity"

103 exhibitors offered visitors an "impressive diversity," as Veronika Kirsch, Dialogue Marketing Director at Kirsch Digital Consulting observed, who also noted "how powerful physical experiences still are today. Holding something in your hands, sticks in your mind. Perhaps even more so than the next social media impression."

The product portfolio ranged from ballpoint pens made of ocean plastic, to brightly coloured carry-on cases with branded logos, ambient advertising on pizza boxes, Swiss Army knives and tools for tradespeople or technical businesses, through to inflatable sofas, backward-running hourglasses and the "world's best" army backpack. Berlin popcorn in various flavours, fair-trade branded chocolate, and juices from Rabenhorst tantalised the taste buds. And in the 2026 World Cup year, the theme of football was also very prominent including a HAPTICA table football game, Tipp-Kick games and official DFB and FIFA-licensed merchandise – from soccer balls to jerseys.

Experienced trade fair visitors like Ronald Eckert of Döbler Promotional Products praised the exhibitor mix, which also provided them with "new inspiration" because, in addition to established players, it also included many suppliers, some of them international, who are not yet as well-known on the market. The Newcomer Area, boasting 15 exhibitors, once again proved to be a crowd-puller. The numerous renowned specialists and brands also attracted a large number of visitors.

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It was remarkable how many suppliers enhanced their product displays with live presentations and interactive booth activities: For example, visitors could have notebooks personalised with their own names at Leuchtturm1917's stand, admire transfer printing on T-shirts at Fruit of the Loom or watch the recycling specialist, Polyperformer, demonstrate how injection moulding works with granules made from recycled trade fair carpets, flowerpots or dental cups. Ecobrands offered home-made poffertjes (mini Dutch pancakes), Troika demonstrated the possibilities of laser engraving and at Needit, crowds gathered around a claw machine where electronic parking discs could be won.

"Thoughts are swirling here, ideas are beckoning," Carina Weizinger from Franz & Krause noted in her LinkedIn post-show review. She went home "with some really good ideas in tow." Sabine Jüngling from apoBank also had many "good conversations" and discovered "concrete examples" of "how haptic brand communication works today." And Oliver Terheggen, Advokatenkontor, summed up concisely: "Inspiration and innovations of the highest quality – HAPTICA live is always worth a visit!"

The exhibitors, who particularly experienced a rush of visitors in the morning and early afternoon, were mostly highly satisfied, even "very impressed" (Jens Averweser, Mepal). "What a wonderful day," declared the Print Tattoo team, Lotte Moons and Louisa Stainer. Jan Polikeit from Halfar gave the fair the rating "mega" and Nora Jehl from Tony's Chocolonely commented that the "atmosphere and organisation" were "truly successful." Claudio Marchi from Zogi noted a "continuous influx of visitors," Luke Bork from Kartonizza reported "a consistently positive response," and Maike Bott from Prodir noted "high-quality discussions."

Inspiring setting

In addition to its open visitor structure, HAPTICA live is characterised by a multifaceted supporting programme that allows visitors to delve deep into the subject matter and provides inspiration for their own work.

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The always well-attended lecture forum kicked off with a keynote speech by Prof. Dr. Michael Kleinjohann entitled "The Brand Creates the Market: How Branding and Brand Love Trigger Business with Promotional Items, Merch and Licensed Products," who presented a 30-minute condensed version of his recently published book, Haptic Advertising. Merchandising. Licensing. The two subsequent presentations by Nina Krannich of Toi Toi & Dixi and Sabine van der Boom of Underberg demonstrated how this can actually look in practice. Numerous hands-on examples – from the market leader's "Toi-letten" flip-flops, to the iconic stemmed glass of the cult herbal bitters – provided a graphic lesson in haptic brand management. That marine protection and merchandising are not contradictory terms, but can instead be mutually beneficial, was demonstrated by Manuel Abraas, Managing Director of Sea Shepherd Germany, in the final session of the lecture programme.

How haptic experiences can bring brands to life was showcased in the Best Practice Show, which Kristin Wunderow from Cologne/Bonn Airport considered an "absolute 'must' here at HAPTICA live." Ten carefully curated, multimedia campaign highlights were presented, demonstrating the possibilities: The range extended from a raclette grill shaped like a Swiss mountain railway, to a Vitamalz record player, McDonald's scented candles and a Telekom Christmas sweater that can be coloured in, through to the merchandise collection of the Hapticologist initiative at OMR.

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REAL compelling arguments

HAPTICA live underlined once again that brands, who invest in merchandise always win: In terms of awareness, positive perception, customer loyalty, emotional connection and image. In the organiser's HAPTICA Lounge, the visitors experienced this promise of success immediately: By simply pressing the buzzer of a wheel of fortune, they were able to win one of four possible prizes. Consequently, there were no lame ducks, instead compelling arguments for investing in haptic advertising: In the booklet entitled Advertising for REAL, the HAPTICA editorial team, supported by current study results, has compiled the REAL advantages of haptic advertising – a project that generated considerable interest among industry professionals and users.

What "REAL Advertising" feels like in practice can be experienced again at the next HAPTICA live: It will be held on March 17, 2027, at the WCCB in Bonn once again.

// Dr. Mischa Delbrouck

www.haptica.live 

Photos: Anne-Marie Achnitz, Paula Bemman, Sabine Klüser, © WA Media; Bernadett Yehdou

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Exhibitor testimonials

Once again, we were more than impressed by the organisation and the numerous visitors. The trade fair is always worth attending and we are looking forward to 2027.

The show is simply amazing. There’s a steady flow of visitors and you have the opportunity to hold many different and interesting conversations.

The atmosphere and organisation are really excellent. You notice immediately that everything is well-structured and it is fun talking to the visitors.

HAPTICA in Bonn is behind us — and it was definitely one to remember! Fantastic organization, a great atmosphere, and a high number of visitors made our booth busy throughout the entire day. But what we value most are the conversations — and there were plenty of them. Many inspiring discussions, meetings with new clients, and exchanges of ideas once again proved how dynamic the promotional products industry is.

We are very satisfied with how the trade fair went overall and the conversations were of high quality.

The show satisfied our expectations. We were able to hold many exciting conversations and meet new potential customers.

There’s a steady flow of visitors and we get the impression the trade fair is going down very well. The atmosphere is consistently positive.

I get the impression that the trade fair is going well, but of course, we can‘t really assess how much our participation has brought us until the end. It will take a few days for us to judge which contacts really have potential for future collaborations.

It is so busy that you hardly get a break – the number of visitors is truly amazing. At the same time, of course, we are happy about every conversation we hold.

Visitor testimonials

A trade fair rarely gives you the feeling the moment you walk in that you are in the right place. Everything seemed exceptionally professional, while at the same inviting. The well-planned organisation, the high-quality exhibitors, the many stimulating conversations – it all had an effortless quality that can’t be planned and only arises when many people work exceptionally well together. I left with a host of new thoughts and inspirations.

Thoughts are swirling here, ideas are beckoning. I found the lecture by Nina Krannich, Toi Toi & Dixi, really cool. With some really good ideas in tow, I will now spend the next days testing, contemplating and further developing a few good concepts.

The Best Practice Show is an absolute ‘must’ here at HAPTICA live. The Telekom sweater was a highlight for me. We are looking for new inspiration for our marketing here at the trade fair. It is totally different from simply ordering products online. Here, you can examine them closely, hold them in your hands, smell them and truly experience them.

The variety was impressive. And at the same time, as a digital agency, the question immediately arose for me: Is haptic advertising still relevant today? At the moment, topics like digitalisation and AI are the talk of the town. But at HAPTICA live, I realised how powerful physical experiences still are. Holding something in your hands, sticks with you. Perhaps even more so than the next social media impression.

There were many good conversations, exciting ideas and concrete examples of how haptic brand communication works today.

This is our first time at HAPTICA live. We are looking for give-aways for promotional campaigns, as well as goodies for our employees for the summer party. A colleague recommended the trade fair to us and we are absolutely thrilled. We will definitely be back.

Merch is an important way of building brand loyalty. We want to learn about trends at HAPTICA live, also with a view towards this year’s Christmas promotions. We have a very good impression of the trade fair and are looking forward to exploring everything at our leisure.

Like every year, HAPTICA live has made a good impression on me. I always enjoy coming here and this year I even had the honour of giving a presentation.
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