PPB October 2017

perspectives Paul Bellantone, CAE President And CEO It’s That Time Of The Year B y the time you read this, we will have enjoyed a successful kick-off to our major buyer outreach season at the American Marketing Association’s annual conference in Las Vegas, and at Advertising Week in New York City. Over the past few weeks, PPAI, like many other businesses, has been planning, budgeting and allocating resources for next year. It is also the time when advertisers and agencies plan, budget and place media buys for the upcoming year. How the promotional products industry engages buyers during this strategic season will set the stage for the industry’s growth and success next year and for years to come. Engaging buyers during the media planning and buying season is essential to encourage them to allocate a larger share of their marketing dollars to promotional products advertising. In an era when consumers will go to great lengths to avoid most other forms of advertising, and ad blocking is at an all- time high, promotional products continue to break through the clutter. Studies show that promotional products are the most welcomed form of advertising by all generations. Unlike traditional advertisements that interrupt a person’s day, promotional products are useful and fit seamlessly into the consumer’s lifestyle. Right now, while buyers are evaluating how to best plan and budget their media spend and achieve the greatest return on investment, the time is right to increase the industry’s market share by distinguishing promotional products from other media. Kicking off at the AMA Annual Conference and Advertising Week in September, and continuing this fall at the Public Relations Society of America’s International Conference in Boston and at the AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education in Atlanta, PPAI is reaching out to buyers to increase awareness by sharing the power of promotional products through the Get In Touch! ® campaign. Get In Touch!, the industry’s branding campaign, is a call to action for buyers to get in touch with promotional professionals (you), and get in touch with clients and consumers by putting brands in the hands of target audiences using the only advertising medium you can touch. Now is the time to Get In Touch! Last year we introduced the comprehensive Get In Touch! buyer outreach toolkit. This year, we’ve added some exciting and easily customizable new features, including the industry’s first broadcast advertising commercial. The toolkit also includes new research infographics, digital and social media graphics, videos, and traditional advertising and presentation tools to help you communicate with buyers and build a complete content marketing strategy in your local market. The Get In Touch! campaign toolkit can help you increase visibility in your local market and build your business. Visit ppai. org/getintouch and download the Get In Touch! toolkit today. In an era when consumers will go to great lengths to avoid most other forms of advertising, and ad blocking is at an all-time high, promotional products continue to break through the clutter. 4 | OCTOBER 2017 |