TREVOSE, Pa., Sept. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Advertising Specialty Institute® (ASI), a leading technology provider to the $27.7 billion promotional products industry, today announced Matt Gilliland joined the company as chief product officer on September 14, accelerating the company’s development of AI-powered technology for the businesses that create and sell branded merchandise.
Promotional products are branded items such as apparel, drinkware, bags and tech accessories used by companies and organizations for marketing. ASI connects tens of thousands of promotional product distributors and suppliers through ESP+, its flagship technology platform for product discovery, sourcing, presentations, quotes and orders.
Gilliland brings more than 18 years of product and technology experience, including 12 years at Zillow, where he most recently served as vice president of product. He will lead the ASI product organization, help shape the future of ESP+ and accelerate development of AI-powered tools designed to make it faster and easier for promotional product professionals to develop campaigns, sell branded merchandise and serve customers.
“Promo is moving too fast for incremental thinking,” said ASI CEO Ashish Mittal. “Matt knows how to take complex technology and turn it into products people want to use every day. We’re building the technology our members will need next and Matt is exactly the kind of leader who can help us get there faster.”
Gilliland’s experience at Zillow includes developing technology for a large marketplace connecting real estate professionals, buyers and sellers. At ASI, ESP+ connects distributors with more than 3,000 suppliers and provides access to more than 1.2 million promotional products.
“ASI has spent decades building something technology alone can’t create: deep industry expertise, trusted relationships and a thriving community of distributors and suppliers,” Gilliland said. “I’m excited to combine that foundation with modern technology that takes work off our members’ plates and gives them more time for relationships, creativity and their customers.”
ASI is already expanding its use of artificial intelligence. In July, the company launched the AI-powered Inspire Design Studio in ESP+, allowing distributors to create realistic product lifestyle images, find company logos and generate original visual assets within the platform.
About ASI
The Advertising Specialty Institute® (ASI, asicentral.com) is a technology, marketing and information provider serving the $27.7 billion promotional products industry. Founded in 1950, ASI provides technology, research, news, education and events to a network of promotional product suppliers and distributors.
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SOURCE Advertising Specialty Institute
