PPB March 2018

FEATURE | Top Promotions of 2017 Distributor | Pica Marketing Group Type Of Client Plumbing parts manufacturer Target Audience 2,500 general contractors, building professionals and owners of smaller heating/cooling companies Other Media Used Web, email, direct mail Primary Objective Drive a 20 percent increase in booth traffic and convert 10 percent of booth leads to post-show sales meetings Total cost (including promotional products, media, printing, packaging, etc.) $44,600 Strategy And Execution Three weeks prior to the event, an e-blast was sent inviting prospects to experience a demonstration and asking them to be on the lookout for more information in the mail. Two weeks prior to the event, a direct mail piece was sent using a printed tube, insert card, and microfiber cloth. The microfiber cloth had the booth number, pictures of the client’s products, and a call to action: bring the cloth for a chance to win. The insert card reiterated the call to action and further educated the participant about the benefits of the client’s products. One week prior to the trade show, a second e-blast was sent reminding participants to visit the booth and bring the cloth. When they arrived at the booth with their cloth, they were able to watch a demonstration, ask questions and receive a large cooling towel. The towel pictured the proprietary plumbing parts and listed the benefits to the plumbing professional. More importantly, it was a helpful tool for those professionals working in hot environments. Results Trade show booth traffic increased by 38 percent, or 800 total leads—almost 100 percent over goal. Twenty percent of the leads were converted to meetings, and five percent of meetings were converted to RFPs. First introduced in 1958, the PPAI Pyramid Award marked its diamond anniversary at The PPAI Expo 2018, proving its long and distinguished reputation in recognizing the best promotions and products in the promotional products industry. With the milestone came an opportunity to expand and advance the Pyramid Award as well. For more than a year, the PPAI Awards Committee has been working to reorganize and rebrand under the Pyramid banner four PPAI awards previously known as Technology, Image, Suppliers Achievement and Supplier Stars. The Pyramid also continues to include categories of distributor promotions. No change was made in how the awards were selected: Supplier Stars are determined by distributor ballots; all other categories are judged by an independent panel of industry and industry-related professionals. The PPAI Pyramid Rebranded More than 100 awards were presented in five categories at Expo. See the list on the following page. Trade Show/Exhibit Traffic Programs THE 2018 COMPETITION OPENS JUNE 4 AND CLOSES JULY 13. Check www.ppai.org/awards for entry details. 52 | MARCH 2018 |