What We Do Matters

The value isn't in the product; it's what it becomes.

As you read this, I’m on my way to our nation’s capital to attend PPAI’s LEAD (Legislative Education and Action Day), something I’ve done for nine of the last ten years. No matter how many times I participate, the enormity of walking the halls of Congress never loses its impact on me.

These are the rooms where decisions are made - decisions that directly impact our businesses, clients, and the industry as a whole. Yet, for an industry built on communication, we have traditionally done a poor job of telling our own story, especially to the people who need to understand it the most. That’s why it’s essential that we step up and actively advocate for our industry with decision-makers.

That’s what makes LEAD so critically important: we not only show up, but we show up together as a unified group sharing the challenges of running small businesses through the lens of branded merchandise.

Whether supplier, distributor, or service provider, there’s something incredibly powerful about being surrounded by peers aligned around a shared purpose. When we arrive in D.C., we are one industry with one voice, and that voice matters more than we sometimes realize. Because, as much as we don’t want to believe it, a great portion of policymakers don’t really understand what we do or the value we provide.

On the surface, it can look like we sell low-cost, imported products with logos slapped on them. At least, that’s the overall perception, because if that’s all someone sees, it’s easy to dismiss the entire industry as trivial.

I had a conversation with a U.S. Senator a few years ago that drove this point home for me. She made a comment that clearly minimized our industry and the value we have to our local, state, and national economies. After listening to her, I showed her a black silicone wristband I wear every single day - one that’s branded with the American Heart Association - and told her that promotional products are a powerful medium and one that has proven to save lives. She looked at me, puzzled, and I told her my story.

In August of 2016, my wife, Sandy, went into sudden cardiac arrest in our home. For over six minutes, I had to perform CPR until the paramedics arrived. She went on to spend 11 days in the hospital before having an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (a fancy term for a combo pacemaker/defibrillator) placed. Without bystander CPR, there was a 94% chance she wouldn’t have survived.

That wristband is a reminder of that moment for me and, more importantly, a conversation starter with others. When people ask why I wear it, I tell them Sandy’s story and encourage them to learn CPR. To date, I know over 50 people who have taken CPR classes because of those conversations, and four of them had to use it in real, life-saving situations.

At that point, the Senator’s tone shifted as she realized that branded merchandise can have a real-world impact.

The real value of any piece of branded merchandise is created when a product is decorated with a message, a brand, or a call to action. And that value is created right here in the United States through creativity, messaging, packaging, and decoration, regardless of where the physical product is made. That shift in value from product to branded merch turns it into something that can inform, influence, and inspire. Sometimes, it can even save lives.

That’s the story we need to be telling, and that’s why LEAD matters. Because if we don’t show up to tell it, someone will define our industry for us. If that happens, I can assure you they won’t get it right.

I encourage you to follow along on Tuesday, April 21st, at 70 promotional products professionals crisscross Washington, D.C. to share our message that our industry - and the one million people it employs - matters.