APPA Joins Forces with PPAI to Get In Touch

Australasian Promotional Products Association (APPA), Surrey Hills, Australia; and Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), Irving, Texas, have announced an agreement to effectively utilize core elements of PPAI's Promotional Products Work! and Get In Touch programs across Australia and New Zealand.

The Get In Touch campaign, which the two organizations will launch in Australia and New Zealand in 2017, is designed to increase awareness and enhance the perception of the promotional products industry, as well as communicate the benefits of working with promotional consultants. The overall goal of the campaign is to direct larger share of advertising dollars to the industry.

The Get In Touch campaign will feature member kits available for download and customization, including elements that members will be able to immediately incorporate into their own marketing efforts. The goal is to makes use APPA members become an integral part of the Get In Touch campaign.

"APPA's goal is simple: Promotional products marketing should be recognized by marketers and businesspeople as an essential part of the brand and marketing communications tool kit," said Steve Granland, CEO of APPA. "Our members are recognized as leaders in their creative field, and promotional products marketing rival other specialized marketing fields for share of wallet, curriculum coverage, career, commentary and perceived value."

"Get In Touch is important to the promotional products industry because, for too long, it has been an afterthought for many in the marketing chain," said Paul Bellantone, CAE, CEO of PPAI. "The industry knows, understands and communicates the power of promotional products, but it's time the rest of thew orld recognized the power of promotional products and their place in successful marketing campaigns."

At Convex16 in August, APPA took the first step by launching PromotionalProductsWork.com.au and PromotionalProductsWork.co.nz. Targeted at promotional products buyers, these websites provide information and data about the power of promotional products and the importance of working with promotional consultants. The websites will continue to evolve and be an important element of the Get In Touch campaign to be launched in Australia and New Zealand in early 2017.

"The APPA Board is saying it wants this to be a primary focus and a key element of APPA's strategic plan," Granland said. "The board recognizes that now is the time to be proactive. However, APPA will not be successful if it pursues this initiative alone. It's going to require APPA members assistance to succeed."

APPA wil form the Profile Raising Advisory Group to be chaired by an APPA board member and made up of a small number of industry participants who are passionate about raising the positive profile of the industry. This advisory group will provide advice and support to the APPA national office team in both adapting the materials made available by PPAI for its markets and how best to engage with the APPA member base to ensure success.

For more information on APPA, visit www.appa.com.au. For more information on PPAI, visit www.ppai.org.