This is not political. Reading anything into my comments is strictly prohibited.
Our new President arrives to his office with a very pronounced brand. Few of those who preceded him to the White House had the same. Washington, Jackson, Grant, Teddy Roosevelt, Eisenhower and, perhaps, another one or two had brands. Most were built during times of war. Their leadership reputations set the table for their popular appeal.
Our new President comes to office with a brand built by marketing, promotion and public relations. Is this not our business? His brand was created by aggressive use of products and techniques akin to us all. Will his history translate into a more favorable reception to our medium by our Federal government and trickle down to the States and municipalities? One can only hope for such a result.
In 1999, my company, Soundline, produced an order for the Trump Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City. It was, if I say so myself, a brilliant job. It was a CD in a traditional plastic jewel case. The disc was a brilliant blend of white and gold offering a rich appearance. The covers were foil stamped in gold to coordinate with the disc. The product was an invitation to the high rollers. The product was not purchased through the standard casino buyers, but came directly out of Trump’s New York headquarters.
Job well done! Oops, that’s what we thought. For whatever reason, our distributor had trouble invoicing and we settled for a 20 percent discount off the invoice. I cite this only as testimony that the Trump brand sets a very high bar and, if you don’t meet it or they think you don’t meet it, you pay the price.
For the length of my 49-year career in this industry, too many elected officials focus their wrath of wasteful spending on us. I remember this as far back as the ’70s. I have seen candidates campaign and single out promotional products as waste. Just a few years ago, a candidate for Senate from Indiana picked on us, despite using buttons, bumper stickers, doorhangers etc., to brand himself and communicate with his potential voters.
So, do we now have an advocate in the White House? Does our new President, who probably had more yard signs emblazoned with his name than any other candidate before him, appreciate our value? Will the traditional pen handed out to VIPs upon the President signing a bill become gold? Will he give more pens? Will the event have even more commemorative items (I hate the word “swag”). Will the Red Hat Society embrace red baseball caps with “make promotions great”?
I could have a lot more fun with this column, but I’ll let you build upon it by offering your own comments. My point is, we may soon experience a paradigm shift with impetus from our President. Regardless of our political affiliation or how we voted, “this is strictly business.”
Most of us know the unfortunate history of the pharmaceutical ban on promotions and branded merchandise. It affected our industry “bigly”. Some of my friends went out of business on both the distributor and supplier side. Some took serious hits on their volume (me) when PhRMA instituted a self-imposed ban on the use of promotional products.
There was little doubt at that time (circa 2004) that it was a preemptive move hoping to ward off more government regulation. With the birth of The Affordable Healthcare Act “Obamacare”, what PhRMA did was codified in the bill. I, as well as dozens of other “volunteers” from regional associations and PPAI, went to Washington to lobby for our interests. We had just a tiny bit of impact on what is called the de minimis but, with Obamacare, the billions we lost in volume seemed to get an eternal sentence.
At this writing, work has begun by the new administration to dismantle Obamacare. Looking at this strictly from an industry point of view, this may be good for business. If it is thrown out completely, so goes our “ban”. Add that to the current administration’s philosophy of less regulation and we may not see this ban appear in any future regulation. Add that to the “zest” our President has for branding, we may see a resurgence of investment in promotional products for the medical industry. What is now taboo may take a turn for the better.
Hospitals may be inclined to accept a clock for patients’ rooms with a brand, as opposed to taking said clock off the wall and replace them with eunuch clocks (clocks without a brand). Doctors may enjoy a bagel with a detail rep. The Viagra pen may return, perhaps bigger than ever.
We do have to keep a watchful eye on our relationship with China, all of Asia and those nations feeding us promotional product. We are a price sensitive market, always trying to meet low budgets for clients. We can face a problem if trade issues and tariffs are imposed on what we sell and where it is made. The near future is unsettled and demands vigilance and the articulation of our needs to members of Congress, etc.
Now is the time for our industry and volunteer leadership to step up and steer the currents our way. There may well be a favorable disposition caused by our promoter and chief. Let’s spread this virus all the way down to your city hall. We can show them and prove our effectiveness in positive branding, building employee pride, communicating important civic messages, recognizing accomplishments, and motivating performance.
Footnote: Again, this is strictly business and my personal political views may not be read into this. “MeetingNet” just published their latest digital issue. A headline reads, “Trump Orders Delay of Measure That Could Ban Incentives.” The gist of this measure was to ensure that financial planners put the best interest of their clients first and not themselves. Hence, incentives such as travel or gifts to sell a given “product” could not be accepted. However if the President voids this measure, we can continue to provide premiums, incentives, and travel. In the words of Michael Corleone, “it’s strictly business.”
Joel D. Schaffer, MAS, is CEO and Founder of Soundline, LLC, the pioneering supplier to the promotional products industry of audio products. Joel has 48 years of promotional product industry experience and proudly heralds "I was a distributor." He has been on the advisory panel of the business and marketing department of St. John’s University in New York and is frequent speaker at Rutgers Graduate School of Business. He is an industry advocate and has appeared before the American Bankers Association, American Marketing Association, National Premium Sales Executives, American Booksellers Association and several other major groups. He has been a management consultant to organizations such as The College Board and helped many suppliers enter this industry. He is a frequent contributor to PPB and Counselor Magazines. He has facilitated over 200 classes sharing his industry knowledge nationwide. He is known for his cutting humor and enthusiasm in presenting provocative and motivating programs. He is the only person to have received both the Marvin Spike Industry Lifetime Achievement Award (2002) and PPAI’s Distinguished Service Award (2011). He is a past director of PPAI and has chaired several PPAI committees and task forces. He is a past Chair of the SAAGNY Foundation, Past President of SAAGNY and a SAAGNY Hall of Fame member. He was cited by ASI as one of the 50 most influential people in the industry.