I've been living a lie. Or maybe I've just been kidding myself. All this time, I've been pretending that I'm a promotional products professional. A leader in our industry. Someone who's respected, if not admired by one or two other people in our field. I've got the hardware on my shelves, plaques on the walls, awards up the… same wall, and yet, I'm a fraud.
For the past several years, I've been part of PPAI's annual March on Washington, officially called L.E.A.D. (Legislative Education and Action Day), where representatives of our industry go to The Hill and meet with Senators, Congressional representatives and, more often than not, their appointed staff members in order to discuss issues which affect our entire industry. Aside from PPAI picking up my hotel room, I do this on my own dime, taking time away from work and family in order to lobby on behalf of each and every one of you reading this.
Or so I thought.
What had started as a small band of industry professionals (and me)… maybe 30 or so… grew to about 80 people last year, coming to Washington so that we could look after the best interests of our industry.
Speaking personally, I did so without gaining any hotel points or airline miles. You can therefore assume that I was taking this stuff seriously.
I've always enjoyed those visits to Washington. Say what you will about the political landscape (just don't say it on my Facebook page), but I still find the whole process fascinating. It's been compared with sausage… most people don't want to know what's involved in making sausages and what goes into them. Not me… I do want to know. Even if it's gristle. That, gentle readers, is politics.
I've had breakfast in a private meeting room in the bowels of the Capital building, been nearly strip-searched while having my contraband (granola bars) confiscated, gone on a tour of the dome with a congressman (and not even my own), sat in on a hearing from a private television filming perch, and visited the gift shop in an effort to see so many promotional products for sale. I've done all this while putting on my grown-up clothes, representing our profession.
As I said earlier, I've done this many times over the last several years. As such it came as a big surprise to me when, earlier in February, ASI (no, this isn’t a bash on them… I've not done one of those in years) published a press release announcing that a pair of distributors in the D.C. area have started a lobbying effort in order to advocate for our industry.
As cut-and-pasted from the press release published by ASI, "the organization will focus on engaging the federal government and having representation at the U.S. Capitol." "If the government doesn't know who we are, then they are crafting and discussing legislation all the time without keeping our interests in mind" said one of the two people spearheading the effort.
Elsewhere in the press release, it read, "our industry needs to have boots on the ground in D.C. and needs to be talking to Congress every day." And then there's this: the group "will be funded by membership dues, and the group's goal is to create an affordable entry level fee for any distributor or supplier to join."
And that's where I lost it. I didn't realize all this time that my volunteer efforts – and the efforts of other attendees – was something that I could charge the rest of you for. I've been attending this event for years, and it's on my calendar to go again in May, so I'd advise you all to check your mailboxes for the invoices for my time, gas, tolls, and coffee and doughnuts for the drive. And maybe I'll pro-rate my SiriusXM.
Yeah, I’m kidding but, yeah… I’m pissed. The nerve of these people to say that our industry has made no effort in representing each and every promotional company, whether or not they belonged to PPAI or subscribed to ASI (who, I will point out, has participated in PPAI’s legislative efforts) is insulting to each and every one of us who has made the effort. And to think they're going to charge us for this privilege!
I've checked out the people behind this effort, they’re not even members of their local regional association, nor have they ever participated in PPAI’s visits to the Hill, which is a short drive or Metro ride for them. If this is a money making effort for them, well, it's a free country. If this is a genuine effort on their part, I'd suggest they get their facts straight. If there's more behind this (and I somehow suspect there is…that might make for a follow-up column), then be honest.
But whatever you do, do NOT tell me that my associates and I have not made any effort.
Mike Schenker, MAS, is a promotional industry veteran and member of the Specialty Advertising Association of Greater New York (SAAGNY) Hall of Fame. He can be reached at mike@mikeschenker.com.