Promotional Products Work! Week (PPW! Week) is under way at companies and associations across the industry. Running May 14-18, PPW! Week is now in its sixth year of encouraging clients, customers and prospects to advance promotional products as an essential component of a comprehensive marketing plan.

Promotional Products Work! Week is an annual industrywide event dedicated to celebrating the power of promotional products and the value they create. It serves as a cornerstone for recognizing the importance of working with promotional professionals, while creating awareness for promotional products as a powerful and effective advertising and marketing medium. In addition to contributing $23.3 billion to the U.S. economy, the promotional products industry is comprised of more than 40,500 companies employing more than 500,000 professionals. Learn more about participating in Promotional Products Work! Week here.

PPW! Week got off to an exciting start on Monday when Irving, Texas, Mayor Pro Tem Allan Meagher, on behalf of Mayor Rick Stopfer, visited PPAI headquarters to declare Promotional Products Work! Week for the city. Irving has been the home of PPAI for almost 40 years. Joined by PPAI President and CEO Paul Bellantone, CAE, and the Association’s staff, Meagher said, “Small businesses are the backbone of our local economy, generating jobs and improving the quality of life for citizens and play a critical role in our community; and Promotional Products Work! Week will stimulate economic growth locally for promotional products businesses and promotional products professionals. Promotional products companies and professionals are vital to our future as an entrepreneurial and productive nation and city.”

Irving’s city leadership is not the only local government to recognize the importance of promotional products businesses and professionals within their community. As reported last week in a PPB Newslink Breaking News alert, on Friday Shelbyville Mayor Wallace Cartwright and the state of Tennessee issued proclamations recognizing this week as Promotional Products Work! Week. The city of Shelbyville, also known as The Pencil City, declared itself The Promotional Products City to acknowledge the contributions of promotional products companies and professionals to the economy and local communities.

"This was a momentous event for PPAMS [Promotional Products Association of the Mid-South] and PPAI, and it's exciting the associations came together to kick off Promotional Products Work! Week and to celebrate Shelbyville's rich history and the promotional products industry's strong economic impact at the local and global levels," says Bellantone. "I want to thank PPAMS, the city of Shelbyville, the Shelbyville-Bedford County Chamber of Commerce, community leaders and the great state of Tennessee—we were honored to be a part of this historic day."

The day began with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and factory tour at supplier Shepenco, followed by a kickoff luncheon and the proclamation presentation by Cartwright. Other speakers included Congressman Scott DeJarlais; state Sen. Shane Reeves; Shelbyville-Bedford County Chamber of Commerce CEO Allen Pitner; and PPAMS President Kimberly Stunkel, as well as local dignitaries and promotional products industry members.

Many of the companies and organizations operating within the promotional products industry are also actively engaged in PPW! Week. One of them, supplier Raining Rose in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has put together a full line-up of events for the week, including a company tour, online content and education sessions. Distributor Quality Logo Products in Aurora, Illinois, has produced a video highlighting the many merits of promotional products and shared more in-depth details of their effectiveness online.

PPW! Week is also an integral part of PPAI’s ongoing Get In Touch! campaign. The campaign was created 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 a larger share of advertising dollars to the industry. Learn more about the campaign and the tools available at PPAI.org/GetInTouch.

Promotional Products Work! Week and the Get In Touch! campaign are designed to increase awareness of and drive traffic to regional and industry participant websites, educate buyers and encourage business referrals to promotional products consultants. More information and planning tools are available at ppai.org/ppwweek.

Doing something for Promotional Products Work! Week? Share your story and pictures with News Editor James Khattak at jamesk@ppai.org for possible inclusion in PPB Newslink and PPB magazine.