PPAI has launched its Strategic Foresight Playbook, a step-by-step guide to implementing strategic foresight and operational excellence for promotional products industry businesses.

Strategic foresight is the capacity to look at the future and spot potential disruptions and emerging trends, so they can be proactively addressed by preparing for the disruptions or by being in the best possible position to take advantage of the trends. It helps companies be more prepared to succeed in the days ahead. Developing and leveraging strategic foresight is one of the four goals in PPAI’s Strategic Plan.

“The playbook is an integral part of how promotional products businesses can use engagement strategies, competitive intelligence and measurement when making decisions today while supporting and shaping our industry’s future for tomorrow,” says Paul Bellantone, CAE, PPAI president and CEO. “We expect this book to be an essential resource for promotional products companies in achieving their strategic goals. It includes not only an introductory overview of strategic foresight but also discusses many complex business issues and provides practical ‘plays’ for future success.”

The playbook represents the culmination of PPAI’s work with focus groups, and interviews with hundreds of promotional products distributors and suppliers, volunteer leaders—including the PPAI Board of Directors—and PPAI staff. It is designed to give promotional products industry business leaders information and tools to develop and implement strategic foresight.

The 70-plus-page playbook includes a collection of activities to help companies spot emerging trends, prepare for disruption and plan for change and innovation to succeed in the future. It includes an introduction to strategic foresight, a four-step process for company positioning and finding a market niche, as well as the plays—a group of useful tools and how-to approaches for planning, execution and investment measurement.

Download a free digital copy or purchase hard copies ($18 for PPAI members/$25 for PPAI associates) at www.ppai.org/strategic-foresight-playbook. To order 10 or more hard copies or to request a speaker on this topic, email playbook@ppai.org.