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60 Second Interview: Gordon Glenister, Director General, The British Promotional Merchandise Association (BPMA)
Winners of the BPMA Student Design Award, 2014. Far right: Gordon Glenister, Director General of the BPMA.
What’s the BPMA?
Representing more than 560 member companies with a turnover of some £550m, the British Promotional Merchandise Association (BPMA) is the voice for promotional merchandise in the UK.
What does it do?
It promotes both the value and use of promotional merchandise and supports members with education, knowledge and best practice. It also enables them to network with each other through a range of events including our annual conference, a new trade show in September, our Christmas lunch and regional events. The BPMA is also founder and instigator of Promotional Products Week.
Why is promotional merchandising so important for business?
Because it’s the only advertising media to recognize and reward recipients. And with today’s constant bombardment of information it offers a great way to stand out.
Promotional gifts are tactile, relevant, useful, durable, cost effective and in many instances can be extremely creative. When a business wins a new client I recommend sending a welcome pack with a range of gifts all nicely boxed up. To be honest, leaflets and catalogues are sometimes filed or even binned, unlike, say, a quality mug.
I urge buyers of promotional merchandise to really think about what they need during the planning stage of a campaign rather than leaving it until the last minute, when maybe there is limited product and branding choices available. Always add a relevant message rather than just a logo.
What impact does the pace of technology have on promotional merchandising?
Marketers have a wide choice of how to spend their money, and the digital space has never been more important. Our sector competes with Google AdWords and other marketing spends.
We live in a world where consumers expect information and goods NOW! The speed with which companies such as Amazon and some others can get a product out is creating a desire for urgency in many industries. Online is the number one choice for people searching for products and suppliers, and we all know that anything past page three or four is worthless, so getting your site well optimised with relevant content is essential.
Those organisations that are driving online in our industry are investing heavily in software for quicker and efficient quoting systems and lead generation.
How has the industry changed since its inception?
Even in the eight years that I’ve been in charge of the BPMA I’ve seen massive change. The traditional distributor used to trade on a local, almost regional level but now a Scottish distributor could easily have clients in Cornwall and vice versa.
The web’s had a huge impact. Lead times have come down dramatically too – for example, three to four weeks was the normal lead time, now 70% is ordered and delivered within ten working days. This has put a certain degree of pressure on the supply chain.
What are the key challenges facing the industry?
There are many. The world’s getting smaller and the connectivity closer, so now it’s easier to buy from China and other cheaper suppliers. Alibaba, one of the world’s largest online portals, was even advertising on TV last year. Sure there’s a risk paying up front and not knowing your supplier or some of the pitfalls involved in the procurement process but some are quite happy to take it.
Digital marketing spend competes with our sector as does all other forms of marketing activity. Companies like Vistaprint and potentially Amazon are showing us that you can turn branded gifts around very quickly without extra costs like screens added. Admittedly their models are aimed at very small quantities at present, but this could certainly be a threat. We only have to look at the stationery sector to see how price has affected margins.
I think there’s a lack of real solid salesmanship in the industry, which is needed more than ever. We need to inspire young people to join the sector. On leaving University or school few would probably say they wanted to work in promotional products but those that do often love it!
How do you see the industry developing?
I think the larger operators are going to get bigger either naturally or by acquisition and they will invest in technology, people and marketing. Some smaller companies will stay relatively static but will try and become more creative to stand out.
Those in the middle space could be more vulnerable and need a strong strategy to ensure they have great people but can keep hold of their costs. I see a greater use of colour in promotional products. We need to move away from low value things – the Stick Pen is one of the items I hate most!
Will China’s recent financial woes have an impact?
Well, they might inspire UK manufacturers to promote themselves more. The BPMA has been behind the ‘BRIMAN’ group, which is a collection of manufacturers and we are keen to promote our ‘Britishness’. Quite frankly the more we produce here the better.
What’s your favourite promotional product?
A whistle I’ve kept for 23 years that I picked up at Internet World – it goes everywhere with me! It looks like a piece of wood but makes this wonderful steam train sound. I’ve probably shown it to about 5,000 people! The brand name, Commission Junction, is a piece of software – their strap line was ‘Sales Arriving Daily’. On the whole I love products that have a nice texture and feel.
If you could design an amazing product, what would it be?
I created the BPMA student design competition and over the last five years have seen some really wicked promotional items. Mine would probably be something digital that can save time – but I don’t know what that is yet!
Thanks, Gordon.
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