Tom Goos, MAS, PPAI Chair of the Board

In late May, in a dark, smoky room in a hotel basement just outside of the White House grounds in Washington D.C., a special meeting took place. Were Paul Ryan, President Obama, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump meeting to call a truce to the political drama? Nope, it was our PPAI Board of Directors and staff leadership meeting to examine and update the Association’s three-year strategic plan. Okay, it wasn’t smoky or dark, and we weren’t meeting in a basement—we were in a sunny meeting room with an inspiring view of the White House—but our meeting was just as important to the industry’s future. Three months of intense preparation culminated in this two-day meeting.

No one can deny that the promotional products industry is undergoing change. Some people wish to turn a blind eye or build walls to protect what once was. Secret codes are not so secret anymore. No new letter coding system will hide the results of a Google search. Suppliers are no longer hidden behind a PPAI number. We are in a global economy where distributors buy direct from China, suppliers sell direct to end users and overseas manufacturers even sell direct to end users. Our industry is not just undergoing change, it is undergoing transformational change.

Promotional products have been around for decades. Through good times and bad, economic ups and downs, promotional products have remained a viable and important part of the advertising mix. As many advertising mediums are declining in revenue, our industry’s sales continue to grow and now exceed $20 billion annually. So why aren’t promotional products seen as one of the top advertising media by advertising agencies and the rest of the market?