AJ Cole, PPAI’s Promotional Products Work initiative manager, has been invited to speak at the Public Relations Society of America ICON Conference in October. Her presentation will focus on the importance of working closely with a knowledgeable distributor who can help them select products that delight their recipients, as well as comply with legal guidelines nationwide.
“We see a lot on LinkedIn and other social media about welcome kits and other really nice swag that people give away,” says Cole, “but the last thing you’d want is for somebody to have a negative response to things that you’re passing out.”
With her background in PR and marketing, Cole is well-equipped to help PR professionals better understand the intricacies involved with promo purchases. “Having been a buyer myself,” she says, “I wanted to talk about some of those rules and laws that they may not be aware of that a distributor could really help them with.”
PPAI is also sponsoring the induction gala for the College of Fellows (PRSA’s hall of fame), and Cole is working with PPAI members to provide gift boxes to the inductees and event chairs that demonstrate the value of promotional products. “Everything from the box itself to the packaging to the gifts that are inside are going to be things that’ll be kept,” she says. “They’re going to be things that are unique that you can’t get off the shelf.”
