This year sees the 25th Anniversary of the APMC Star Awards and in celebration of the quarter of a century milestone, the Promotional Marketing Association has completed a makeover for the new year, according to Valerie Melinn.
We have undertaken a brand refresh, which will see the organisation now being referred to in long hand as The Promotional Marketing Association but retaining the acronym by which we are best known as as, APMC.
To support the transition, we have a sleek new look including a vibrant new colour palette including a logo that will be reflected across our marketing communications throughout the year, representing the standards of professionalism in the Promotional Marketing Industry here in Ireland.
Most of us, in our agency roles, have more than likely contributed to a re-brand campaign for a client. During that process we inevitably advised that as their business grows and develops, their brand needs to reflect this so that their vision and mission is represented. Promotional Marketing has evolved over the decades – indeed we began life in the early 90’s as the Irish Institute of Sales Promotion Consultants (IISPC) before becoming the Association of Promotional Marketing Consultants (APMC). If we advise our clients and brands to be flexible to meet the ever-changing needs of their customers, social and economic development and other changes in their markets, we needed to take a step back and look at our own positioning and offering.
No-one calls themselves a “Promotional Marketing Consultant”, we are creative agencies who roll out many types of Promotional Marketing. We have worked hard to move up the communications food chain, to get a bigger share of the budgets and to make meaningful contributions to the strategic planning of client campaigns. We have proven that we can deliver key measurables that advertising cannot, but most importantly, we allow brands to truly connect with consumers by interacting with them and giving them a memorable experience.
Now no longer confined to the traditional “BTL” classification, traditional and modern promotional marketing tactics are now also implemented by digital agencies, PR agencies, media agencies and so forth and as the industry body, the APMC must appeal to and be relevant to an ever-expanding classification of agencies. We hope our new look and feel supports this objective.
One of the first areas to see an immediate change introduced is the APMC Star Awards. These awards champion the very best work in promotional marketing and continue to set the bar of excellence every year. How we communicate to and engage with our consumers have evolved dramatically, never more so than in the last decade. This must be reflected in our Annual Awards. The rise of technology has been recognised with a Digital Category and due to the high number of entries over previous years, 2018 sees the addition of Best Sponsorship Activation and Best Shopper Marketing Campaign as standalone options to enter.
We are also pleased to announce the Judging Panel for the 2018 Awards boasting some of the top minds in our industry. The expert panel includes global marketing director of Heineken Fiona Curtin, renowned pitch doctor Brian Sparks, Alternative’s group managing director Charley Stoney and Imagination Post’s international director, John Milne.
The awards provide the opportunity for campaigns to be compared and judged by the experts as well as offering a platform to spotlight the best-in-class work of the year. Winners in each category will also be eligible to enter the IMCC European Federation of Sales Promotion ‘Best of Europe’ Awards.
Furthermore, we will be expanding our educational programmes for the year ahead, offering those working in the industry the chance to network with their peers while hearing from a selection of speakers on a range of industry relevant topics. Our first session of 2018 will focus on GDPR and how the GDPR will impact marketing campaigns. The scope of the impact of GDPR cannot be overstated and our talk will be delivered by Laura Fannin of Hayes Solicitors on Wednesday 21 February – more details available on the APMC website.
The APMC Board is made of voluntary representatives from 8 different agencies. We are very much looking forward to an exciting 2018. We are delighted to have initiated some key changes to enable the evolution of the APMC. Our aim is to remain futureproof, relevant and inclusive for all members in an ever-diversifying audience by refocusing our objectives to engage in a more meaningful way. Our new vibrant look and feel was introduced to evoke diversity and expressiveness, with an accompanying ambition to effectively expand our reach and resetting existing member expectations.
For more information on the APMC, our Star Awards or our GDPR session visit apmc.ie
To join the Promotional Marketing Association email Karen Neville: karen@apmc.ie for more details.
Valerie Melinn is the current Chair of the Promotional Marketing Association (APMC) and Client Services Director, Verve the Live Agency
In association with the APMC
First published in Irish Marketing Journal (IMJ February 2018)© to order back issues please call 016611660
