In a $22 billion dollar industry, where 50 percent of the business is done by folks selling less than $250,000 a year, most industry professionals just can’t — or won’t — find the time to focus on product safety. From both the perspective of end-user client, and while in my role as executive director of the non-profit Quality Certification Alliance, I found starting a conversation on the topic of promotional product safety was never easy. While there are dedicated individuals who recognize that delivering safe product is not only a good way to do business, but also the right way to do business, they are relatively few and far between. Over the years, I realized a stark truth — you just can’t make people care.
It’s not for lack of trying. A couple of years back, PPAI created the Product Safety Aware Initiative. The initiative was designed to entice members to take an interest in demonstrating even a modicum of ‘commitment’ to product safety. To participate, a company simply designated an employee to serve as a Product Safety Ambassador for the organization, and he or she was then required to complete four hours of product safety education. As leverage designed to get companies to comply, PPAI announced that it wouldn’t allow a company to display on any show floor without the company achieving Product Safety Aware status.
While not the most robust of product safety solutions, I give much credit to PPAI for its effort, for recognizing a need, and for putting a program in place. I also realize that an organization like PPAI needs to serve all of its constituency, so it’s hamstrung when it comes to enforcing things of this nature. But, to be fair, when it comes to an issue that’s as important — to both brands and end-users — as product safety, one employee and just four hours of training is really the bare minimum. It’s particularly telling that the first time PPAI made it known that it would actually enforce the trade show participation requirement, they had to hold hastily scheduled classes in order to meet the demand of folks clamoring to get “qualified” upon actual arrival at the show site. One person, four hours. Deemed so unimportant that folks chose to ignore it — until they showed up at a trade show and found they couldn’t gain admittance. That’s really a pretty sad state of affairs, and provides an understanding of the almost complete disregard for product safety in the minds of so many in our industry.
As I was thinking about this and working on this article, I thought I would crowdsource a question or two on product safety interest, so I posted in the Promotional Products Professionals group on Facebook. It’s a closed group, but boasts more than 4,000 members. My guess was that I would get very little response. It’s a group comprised primarily of smaller distributors, many of whom are just focused on getting through the challenges of sourcing product on a daily basis. But, while I set the expectation bar extremely low, I got even less response than I thought — just three members took the time to respond.
“I can see by the responses... well lack of responses, that the topic of product safety is just not that sexy. But you know that.” said Jeff Solomon, of FreePromoTips.com. Jeff also represents a national distributor for his product sales. “At The ASI Show Orlando, two suppliers who I know have invested in product safety did a presentation to a packed room of salespeople from my company. Interestingly, one person talked a bit about product safety, but never mentioned their investment to provide it. Product safety was not even mentioned by the other person. That’s not surprising really, but it puts a spotlight on the challenge to share this message. If the importance of delivering quality, safe products is not able to trickle down internally through suppliers, distributors will never get it.”
Johanna Gottlieb, senior branding specialist at Axis Promotions, capitalizes on the lack of talk about product safety in the field. “I absolutely feel the conversation gives us an advantage. It is a lot less sexy (after the fact) to be involved in a recall or with a job that does not pass product safety or compliance standards.” Shamini Peters, Axis’ director of imports and compliance, is a recognized professional in the industry, speaking frequently on industry panels, and an important asset to the organization as it relates to its investment in product safety. “The salespeople at Axis make sure to involve Shamini and her team early and often on many projects. Their team controls the importing processes, which allows us to manage jobs more smoothly. There is a big cradle of comfort for us, and for our clients, with their resources.”
I also heard from a 30-year industry veteran who has represented a national distributor, but is now out on his own. He is well aware that the lack of safety conversation in the industry is a big advantage for his small distributorship. So much of a leg up that he didn’t want me to attribute his comments because he knows his competitors in California are watching him. “My QCA (Quality Certification Alliance suppliers) message, much to my surprise, is normally the first time the customer has heard about it and they know absolutely nothing about it. So, I give them a strong informed message, and by doing so differentiate myself from all the competition. I have yet to lose a deal when I include this in the presentation. Even in a low price bid situation this message is powerful, and I never understand why distributors don’t get on board and use it to the fullest advantage.”
I know that I beat the product safety drum on a regular basis, but I feel we are a little short of drumbeaters right now. I can promise you that your end-user clients, whether they express it or not, care deeply about product safety and keeping themselves and their families safe. I can also promise you that the brands that buy your promotional products for their customers and prospects care deeply about product safety, and about keeping their brands and brand reputations safe.
So, where are you on that front?
I urge you to consider taking another look at putting product safety in your bag, and making it part of the foundation upon which you build your business. If not because it’s the right thing to do, then maybe because it might end up resulting in more sales and happier customers. That’s something everyone should be able to get behind, isn’t it?
Jeff Jacobs has been an expert in building brands and brand stewardship for more than 35 years, working in commercial television, Hollywood film and home video, publishing, and promotional brand merchandise. He’s a staunch advocate of consumer product safety and has a deep passion and belief regarding the issues surrounding compliance and corporate social responsibility. He recently retired as executive director of Quality Certification Alliance, the only non-profit dedicated to helping suppliers provide safe and compliant promotional products. Before that, he was director of brand merchandise for Michelin. As a recovering end-user client, he can’t help but continue to consult Fortune 500 consumer brands on promo product safety when asked. You can also find him working as a volunteer Guardian ad Litem, traveling the world with his lovely wife, or enjoying a cigar at his favorite local cigar shop. Follow Jeff on Twitter, or reach out to him at jacobs.jeffreyp@gmail.com.