On August 16th, the Australasian Promotional Product Association (APPA) announced the winners of the prestigious and highly sought after APPA Promotional Product Excellence Awards at an exciting award ceremony and gala dinner held at The Star in Sydney in front of 400 of the promotional products industry elite. Proving the value of promotional product marketing as a means of driving brand activation, the award winners used a unique range of promotional products to drive strong engagement and profile elevation. Mr. Steve Granland, CEO, APPA noted: “These awards clearly demonstrate the absolute value promotional products bring into the marketing mix and brand equity. As one of the only forms of advertising that allows consumers to interact repeatedly with a brand on a physical level, these awards demonstrate how promotional products create a memorable brand experience. APPA Members have shown tonight that innovative, creative and unique promotional products have a great ability to tap into individual’s emotions and build brand loyalty. Put simply, promotional products work.”
The Platinum Award for Overall Excellence is awarded by the judging panel to the award entrant considered as the stand out of all the awards recognised for their excellence on the evening.
This year’s Platinum Award winner was Arid Zone, for their outstanding work with Xero Australia in the Merchandise Programs and Events Merchandise category. An APPA judge observed that it was a well-designed, on brand concept, using a very impressive range of high quality, practical, tailored and fashionable products.
Competition was fierce and of an extremely high standard across the broad range of promotional product marketing campaign award categories, including: Business to Business, Consumer Gift with Purchase, Distributor Self Promotion, Limited Budget, Merchandise and Programs and Events Merchandise, Not-for-Profit Promotion, Promotional Product Innovation and Design and Sustainable/Eco Friendly/Recycling Programs.
Mr. Simon Tebbutt, APPA Awards Judge and owner of Ninth Wave and Lock Stock Marketing noted: “This year we saw a significant increase in the number of entries. However, what was most noticeable was the quality of the entries. As promotional marketers in this space, it is often difficult to get close enough to the client to understand and articulate the reason behind why the merchandise was created. What is clear from the entries we saw is that member agencies are now much closer to their clients, which allows them to genuinely integrate promotional merchandise in to existing campaigns that support the brand objectives.”
The night also saw the promotional products industry recognise two stand out individuals. Mr. Paul Bergman, was awarded the Young Achiever Award whilst APPA Life Membership was bestowed upon industry legend Mr. Charles Hanna.
Finalists included Chilli Promotions, Flourish Marketing, PromoShop, Sands Promotions, Brand Promotions, Inck Merchandise, Hot Promos, Red Tomato, ASB Marketing, Sister Kate Marketing, Stickers and Stuff, Arid Zone, Sweet Memories Promotional Gifts, Brandinc Global Branding Solutions, TurnKey Promotions, Slick Promotions and Make it POP.
Awards and Winners
Platinum Award for Overall Excellence – Arid Zone
Business to Business Programs – Flourish Marketing
Consumer Programs Gift with Purchase – Inck Merchandise
Distributor Self Promotion – Sister Kate Marketing
Limited Budget – Inck Merchandise
Merchandise Programs and Events Merchandise – Arid Zone
Not for Profit Promotion – Brandinc Global Branding Solutions
Promotional Product Innovation and Design – Arid Zone
Sustainable/Eco-Friendly/Recycling Programs – Sister Kate Marketing
Platinum Award for Overall Excellence – Arid Zone
Business to Business Programs – Flourish Marketing
Consumer Programs Gift with Purchase – Inck Merchandise
Distributor Self Promotion – Sister Kate Marketing
Limited Budget – Inck Merchandise
Merchandise Programs and Events Merchandise – Arid Zone
Not for Profit Promotion – Brandinc Global Branding Solutions
Promotional Product Innovation and Design – Arid Zone
Sustainable/Eco-Friendly/Recycling Programs – Sister Kate Marketing
Full details and photographs on each award-winning entry can be found at http://promotionalproductswork.com.au/case-studies/
Awards Judges
Lee Tonitto, CEO, Australian Marketing Institute
Ben Ice, Assistant editor, Marketing, Niche Media
Carla Bridge, General Manager, POPAI
Simon Tebbutt, Owner Ninth Wave and Lock Stock Marketing
Dr Nives Zubcevic-Basic, Senior Lecturer & Marketing Director, Swinburne University of Technology
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