PPB June 2016

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I started thinking, what is next? Where is
the marketing industry—specifically the pro-
motional marketing industry—going, and
what can we expect to see over the next five
years?
I’ve had some long conversations with
friends who have been in the industry as few
as five years and as many as 30. I’ve spoken to
multi-line reps, distributors and suppliers to
get various perspectives. Opinions vary as to
what those changes will or should be, or what
they will look like, but everyone agrees that as
the world changes, so must our industry.
For example, we should go beyond wor-
rying about which company name is on the
carton that contains the client’s product, and
start worrying about whether the piece inside
the box speaks to the brand, message, market
and value of the client. Does the product help
our clients support their brand? Does it offer
a call to action that engages the client and is
it seen as valuable by the end user (the
client’s client) who receives it? In the end,
those are the issues that matter. Are we able
to help clients communicate effectively and
tell their story so their clients will care, and in
a way that will drive the business cycle?
Unfortunately, that is not where we are
today. Too many suppliers do not understand
that the business they are in is the communica-
tions business. Instead, they believe they are in
the decorated product business. As a result, our
business could be in the hands of the non-
industry online sellers of the world very shortly.
I also don’t think many distributors truly
understand their clients’ businesses, or their
own. This is due to the unbelievably low
point of entry required to enter our market.
This industry needs young people who
understand how promotional products can
dovetail with digital campaigns and those
who speak the language of today’s business.
Properly trained and educated, these people
could be the next great industry ambassadors
and elevate our industry to new levels as the
most memorable advertising medium.
However, there are some great things in
our industry that are giving me hope. PPAI,
with its recent alliance with marketer/speaker
Seth Godin and its new industry awareness
initiative, is starting to communicate the
message of selling value. So are the folks at
with their mentorship
program, in which I am involved. However,
we need to do more. We need to learn to
speak the language of business and communi-
cations. We need to know what issues busi-
nesses are concerned about, find out how our
clients’ industries are changing and ask about
their communications challenges. The more
we understand and work to really solve their
problems, the more valuable we will be seen
by businesses and the entire marketing com-
munity. This takes asking questions—many
questions—as well as critical listening and
understanding.
From both the supplier and distributor
side, we must learn to understand the client
74 • PPB • JUNE 2016 THINK
VIEWPOINT
The World
Has Changed.
Embrace It.
IN THE 20-PLUS YEARS I have called myself a marketer (18 of
them in promotional marketing), I have seen amazing technology
changes and rush orders defined as anywhere from three weeks to three
hours. I haven’t seen everything, but I have seen a lot.
THE MORE WE WORK TO SOLVE OUR CLIENTS’ PROBLEMS,
THE MORE VALUABLE WE CAN BE TO BUSINESSES AND THE
ENTIRE MARKETING COMMUNITY. By Ben Baker