PPB March 2016

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NORTHWEST PROMOTIONAL MARKETING ASSOCIATION POPS THE
TOP ON SHOW REBRAND
By Jen Alexander
74 • PPB • MARCH 2016 THINK
PROMOTIONS
Welcome To
Brandlandia
The quirky sketch comedy
“Portlandia” served as the inspiration for
NWPMA’s recent rebranding of its pop-
ular showcase, which was held in
Portland, Oregon in March 2015. “The
show characterizes people, places and
situations particular to the Northwest,”
says Reggie Gonzalez, NWPMA’s vice
president and recognition board advo-
cate, and vice president and national
sales manager for iClick. “Featuring fun,
outlandish but poignant topical informa-
tion was our focal point.”
Enter Brandlandia, a land “where
your brand will live forever,” says
Gonzalez. “The creation became a fun
and lively logo—a beer bottle label—with
a gritty, distressed feel.” Brandlandia is
the brainchild of Spring Showcase Board
Advocate Kate Ivory, owner of GIDI
Promotions, and the showcase committee.
The goal of the rebranding effort
was to boost awareness of the regional
association’s trade shows and create a
brand image that the association could
use for years to come, he says. “Members
were invited to kick off the show with a
networking party, the Brandlandia
Beerfest, the evening prior to the show.
It offered [members] a way to interact
with fellow distributors and suppliers
while enjoying all the local brewery
favorites that Portland has to offer.”
Pre-show marketing aimed at
NWPMA’s 350 members included use
of the new logo and events whose names
included ‘brand’ somewhere in the title.
“This gave both exhibitors and attendees
the idea that we can work hard and play
hard at the same time,” Gonzalez says.
The NWMPA Board of Directors
received branded wearables including t-
shirts, hats and sweatshirts—all embla-
zoned with the new logo: “Brandlandia
… put a brand on it.” During the beer-
fest, pub-style t-shirts in pilsner glasses
were given to attendees along with
branded wood beer tokens. Winners of
the night’s beer trivia received branded
growlers as well.
“The great energy carried onto the
show floor the next day,” he says, “as
attendees reminisced about the new and
strengthened relationships that were
developed at the party.”The Brandlandia
theme was renewed for the association’s
WHEN A POP CULTURE phenomenon perfectly captures the
character of a beloved community, sometimes you have no choice
but to pay homage to the creative genius behind it. This is exactly
what the team at Northwest Promotional Marketing Association
did when they chose to rebrand their 2015 end-user show.