Paul Bellantone, PPAI president and CEO, recently posted a letter of response on his blog in regards to the U.S. Marshal Spending Controversy. The controversy, which revolves around the revelation that the U.S. Marshal’s Office had spent nearly $800,000 on promotional products from 2005 to 2010, has gained some traction in the press, many accusing the Marshals of overspending on “swag.”
In his post, Bellantone had this to say about those claiming such spending to be wasteful:
The promotional items deemed “not necessary,” according to the [Politico] article, are anything but. In fact, points raised in the article are exactly why promotional products are one of the most effective, cost-efficient and longest-lasting media used by advertisers, marketers and the U.S. Marshals Service. Compared to other media, promotional products are the sixth fastest-growing advertising medium, ranking eighth among traditional and digital media in annual expenditures at $18.5 billion. The government report actually acknowledges this in its findings.
Bellantone’s full post, “U.S. Marshals Service’s Use of Appropriated Funds to Purchase Promotional Items,” can be found on his blog here.
