The team will tell you that, as editor-in-chief, I famously despise articles about corporate anniversaries. We print almost none of them. Each company celebrates a milestone every five years, which is surely meaningful to the people who have made it possible in those organizations… but probably matters very little to the rest of our readers.
Josh Ellis
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief, PPAI Media
So let me start by staying that this editor’s note – recognizing the golden anniversary of PPAI Media itself – is not a recognition of me, my team or even the talented editors who came before us.
It’s more about you, your colleagues and competitors, and all of us in this industry together.
The first issue of Specialty Advertising Business landed in mailboxes in April 1976. It would later become Promotional Products Business, or PPB, and is now PPAI Magazine. Today it’s one of many channels under the mostly digital PPAI Media umbrella, which includes an array of newsletters, podcasts and video, research efforts and even a public advocacy arm.
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That first tabloid 50 years ago marked a revolution in how the industry communicates, organizes and creates a shared understanding of itself. The Board’s vision in the beginning was a publication dedicated to informing, connecting and strengthening a growing professional community. Along the way, PPAI’s publications earned awards and, more importantly, the trust of readers. Typing this now, I can tell you that the journalists who came before us were devoted in their service to PPAI members.
While formats and names have changed, the mission has remained remarkably consistent.
Industry journalism serves an important purpose. It highlights the trends shaping our present and future, strategies that help businesses grow and ideas that move them forward. It provides context and perspective. It molds ethics and innovation. And it’s the primary communication channel between PPAI leadership and the members they represent.
The next chapter of that story will carry the same values, but it will look different from previous eras. Our focus will increasingly extend beyond the industry itself.
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The next phase of PPAI Media includes speaking directly to the buyers and users of merch – the marketers, HR pros and brands who need to recognize our elevated industry’s ability to advance their own missions. When they better understand the power and potential of merch, the entire branding community benefits.
That’s what excites me most about the future. If we tell your story well – if we communicate clearly, honestly and consistently – the shared messages can lift every business and every person we serve.
Media has changed. It’s not just pictures and text you can take or leave. It’s not the evening news spoken at you. This is now an ongoing conversation. We create storytelling that we hope you’ll share in. We want to bring you into a dialogue rather than simply deliver bullet points.
At our best, we help unite the industry and define its culture. Who are we? What do we do? Why does it matter?
Whether you’re new to the business or you remember that first broadsheet 50 years ago, thank you for trusting PPAI Media.
We’re in this, with you, for the long haul.
