PPB February 2016

73 / 94

your participation is critical to its success.
The IBI will make significant strides in
bringing promotional products out of the
back room and into the boardroom where
marketing decisions are made. Our goal is to
create an impact on the end buyer that
increases sales for our members and advances
our industry. Who doesn’t want that? In the
second year of the plan, a national industry
spokesperson will be added. It is an exciting
time and an extraordinary initiative designed
to remove the afterthought stigma once and
for all. I’m proud to be a part of it.
Of course, none of this was possible
without previous leadership recognizing the
need for change. I am blessed to have served
with prior PPAI chairs Rick Brenner, MAS+,
Mark Jenkins, MAS+ and Marc Simon who
all gave so much to PPAI and this industry.
The time and talents they offered to advance
the Association and our industry have made
significant impact. Together they moved the
IBI initiative forward from concept to board
approval to where we are today: the launch.
By creating big picture initiatives like IBI, all
of us will benefit in this great industry.
As your 2016 PPAI chair, I am happy to
carry this torch as we move ahead. I look for-
ward to working with all of you on this and
so many other important initiatives.
Tom Goos, MAS, is president of Image Source,
Inc. Reach him at
PERSPECTIVES
Continued From Page 4
graphic diversity in the Association’s pro-
grams, messaging and outreach within
and outside the industry.
As government relations manager,
Barnett has supported the ongoing suc-
cess of PPAI’s Legislative Education and
Action Day (L.E.A.D.) as well as the devel-
opment and growth of L.E.A.D. Local. He
trained industry advocates, wrote legisla-
tive briefs, monitored updates to industry
law and tracked legislative matters at
both the state and federal levels.
He recently spoke with PPB about his
new role at the Association, the chal-
lenges it was established to address and
his plans going into the position.
PPB: This is a new position at PPAI.
What needs of the industry and
Association was it designed to meet?
Barnett: The diversity challenge of our
industry primarily focuses on genera-
tional demographics.
The global economy
is at a crossroads
where, within the
next 10 years, most
of the workforce will
be nearing retire-
ment and there will
be a tremendous
need for young lead-
ership. Our industry
is no stranger to this demographic chal-
lenge as it primarily employs Baby
Boomers and Gen Xers.
During my time at PPAI, I’ve written
articles and recorded podcasts about the
generational issue and the ways our
industry can meet this challenge. When
PPAI’s Board of Directors began incorpo-
rating generational diversity within the
industry in its strategic plan discussions, I
wanted to take this idea to the next level
and presented it as a new role for PPAI.
This role will take this global economic
challenge and simplify it in ways our
industry can tap into to ensure continued
success in the marketplace.
PPB: What will be your primary
responsibilities in this role?
Barnett: There are two primary chal-
lenges that this role will seek to address.
The first is our industry’s broad genera-
tional divide between the large number
of Baby Boomers and Gen Xers, and the
insignificant number of Millennials in its
workforce. We will look at how compa-
nies both within and outside our industry
are attempting to recruit and retain
Millennials. We are a unique industry
with unique opportunities for younger
people to get involved and stay
involved, and we will find ways for busi-
nesses to diversify their workforce and
create leadership opportunities that
ensure success into the future. The sec-
ond challenge is to better understand
the changing marketplace and find ways
for our industry to meet the new
demands set forth by the younger gen-
eration of consumers. This will help busi-
nesses compete as the market continues
to trend toward younger consumers.
PPB: How does this position work
with other stakeholders in the
Association and industry?
Barnett: This position works with sup-
plier and distributor members at all lev-
els. The success of the industry is made
possible through a continued common
understanding among all stakeholders.
It is my hope that the information we
will be providing will be useful to every-
one in some way. We will also be devel-
oping ways to educate young people
about the industry and what value it
holds. This will not only inspire those
seeking new opportunities to join our
industry but also educate future con-
sumers about the value of promotional
products as part of the advertising mix.
So in that regard, we are attempting to
create new stakeholders through educa-
tion and marketplace optimization.
PPB: What will be the focus of your
first 90 days in the position? Any
longer term goals?
Barnett: During the first 90 days I will
work to establish a foundation and begin
to help those in the industry have neces-
sary conversations about their employ-
ment demographics and their visibility in
the marketplace. It is our goal to estab-
lish long-term plans that address poten-
tial future industry demographic shifts as
this position progresses. Many industries
have begun to forecast the ways demo-
graphics will affect business several years
down the road. It is my hope that as the
research, conversations and education
about this issue continue, we will be able
to better predict economic and demo-
graphic challenges.
Seth Barnett
FEBRUARY 2016 • PPB • 71