PPAI’s annual Pyramid Awards honor creative excellence in the promotional products industry and recognize dependable suppliers, outstanding promotions, creative campaigns and exceptional craftsmanship by Association members. Submissions for the 2022 Pyramid Award competition open today and run through May 7. To support awareness of the program, this article is the first in a series to learn from this year’s Pyramid Award recipients what it means to secure a PPAI Pyramid win. This first installment centers on Morrisville, North Carolina, distributor Brand Fuel and its Gold Award win in the marketing category, “Digital Self-Promotion Campaigns,” for “Let’s Get Phygital.”

Brand Fuel’s custom holiday gifting campaign was developed to thank clients in a new and innovative way, using the power of promotional products, custom art and charitable giving options. In talking about the campaign’s concept, Danny Rosin, CAS, Brand Fuel’s co-president, says, “At Brand Fuel, we are always trying to differentiate in a commoditized space. So, the first question we ask is what have we done in the past year that was super unique. After that, we validate the submission through impacts and measurable results associated with the return on investment.”

The company is using its Gold Pyramid Award in its self-promotion outreach to clients and customers. Rosin says, “We feature the win through social media, add it to our email signatures, created a blog and a case study and use it as inspiration. In many cases, we will create a proof-in-concept service or campaign that will enable us to sell [a similar program] to other clients. The award-winning campaign part makes the sell a lot easier.”

“Let’s Get Phygital” wasn’t Brand Fuel’s first Pyramid competition entry. For those considering giving the competition a try, Rosin recommends, “Nike says it best, ‘Just do it.’ But do it thoughtfully. If you win, you get bragging rights and inspire an industry. And if you do not win, you still end up with great content for your organization to market to your team and clients.”

For more information and to submit entries, go to www.ppai.org/pyramid. For assistance or additional questions, email awards@ppai.org.