PPAI is accepting submissions for its annual Pyramid Awards, which honor creative excellence in the promotional products industry and recognize dependable suppliers, outstanding promotions, creative campaigns and exceptional craftsmanship by Association members. The submission period is open through May 7. To highlight and learn from 2021 Pyramid Award winners, PPB Newslink is speaking with them to learn more about what it means to secure a PPAI Pyramid win. Today’s installment features Sandusky, Ohio, distributor Social Good Promotions and its Silver Award in the client programs category, Social Responsibility Programs for its campaign “The Revolution IS Inclusion.”

The goal of Social Good Promotions’ campaign was for Special Olympics Ohio to engage Northeast Ohio schools in the Inclusion Revolution initiative and increase participation in Unified Sports Programs. The strategy was to design the best possible apparel, signage and gear to support the mission and showcase each brand successfully, and create a memorable experience for the athletes, partners, volunteers and the football organization while bringing attention to the overall theme of inclusion.

Roger Burnett, founder of Social Good Promotions, says, “Promotional products can be so much more than just a logo on a product. When done well, they represent the physical manifestation of a memorable moment. The project we worked on with Special Olympics Ohio and the Cleveland Browns was by far the best representation of that, as many of the players who participated in the event told us firsthand how much the jerseys meant to them, and a couple of the schools that participated in the program now have waitlists because the program exploded in popularity.”

Speaking on why the distributor submitted the campaign to the Pyramid Awards, Burnett adds, “Social Good Promotions was created as a reflection of what I had learned documenting stories of promotional products companies focused on making the world a better place. We sort of took it as a ‘challenge accepted’ moment. In accepting said challenge, we were admitting that we wanted to do the kind of work that would be Pyramid Award-worthy, so submitting for one was a natural conclusion for us, and we expect to be able to submit for one each year we’re in business. It’s important to us!”

Following its Silver Pyramid win, Social Good Promotions shared what it learned from the experience with its partners in the campaign. Burnett says, “We actually did a livestream event with the Browns and Special Olympics Ohio and invited other Special Olympics chapters to the event, so they could hear from our partners with both organizations about their experience with us helping them to produce the event. It was very well-attended, and we anticipate continued growth in the program from other Special Olympics chapters. We’re incredibly proud of our award and we wanted to make sure people knew what we had won and why.”

Watch a recording of Social Good Promotions’ livestream here.

For more information and to submit entries for the 2022 PPAI Pyramid Awards, go to www.ppai.org/pyramid. For assistance or additional questions, email awards@ppai.org.