BPMA Charter
MEETING THE
mark in 2022
F
or BPMA members, the Charter mark represents the ultimate in promotional merchandise industry standards. BPMA Charter promotes the highest level of business practices and customer service; representing some the most respected and reputable companies within our industry. Importantly, for end user audiences the Charter mark represents a secure supply chain, a collective record of the standards expected. The BPMA has been on a mission to upgrade the Charter status for the coming year 2022-23 and has now launched a reviewed and revised standard. Busy identifying the members who should hold the additional mark, current Charter members are now enjoying an enhanced package from this June.
needed to reward and celebrate the additional achievements; with the increased package and costs we have been able to release over £500 in savings provided in valuable education placements and events for these members plus additional PR opportunities to boost profiles.” Providing new toolkits and materials solely for Charter use, the BPMA is now on a recruitment drive to invite qualifying members to apply and is also inviting applications from interested parties. Bringing Charter members together in June for a Charter networking day, businesses explored opportunities and approaches to help lead industry reputations in excellence. If you are interested in becoming a BPMA member and a Charter member, please contact membership@bpma.co.uk
VALUE ADDED Understanding the new position has come with some additional costs, BPMA membership lead Tom Robey said: “The positioning for this tier in membership
www.productmediamagazine.co.uk
Quality assured Premier Impressions launched in 1989, and provides a range of professional branding services which include pad and screen printing, digital printing, laser engraving, graphic design, handling and fulfilment, and warehousing and shipping. It has established a reputation for exceptional service standards, value and focuses on quality results and response. Managing director Alan Stride (pictured) explains why the company became a BPMA Charter member When did you become a Charter member and why? We decided to become a Charter member expecting it to raise our profile within the trade, providing us with additional sales opportunities. We have high levels of quality expectation from our clients and are the go-to for either most difficult or most expensive product branding requirements. We saw this as acceptance of our high-level service package. What does Charter status give you as a company? High perceived value-added properties for our branding services, although additional sales volume is difficult to gauge due to Covid. Unfortunately, a large number of customers still pitch low cost as more important than high value services. How does Charter fit in with your positioning as a company? Charter fits perfectly with our ethos of high-quality service levels and elevates us as an overbranding company above our competitors. Charter status is a state of mind here and assists in maintaining good internal quality standards. Why is it important to go beyond simply talking about price? The importance of taking everything into account as a buyer for service is crucial in a long-term relationship. It is not always just about print quality. There’s support if things go missing and back up design facilities play an important part in making changes and meeting delivery dates. Tailored support for our clients with their clients is on offer. The bitterness of a botched order (for whatever reason) lasts a lot longer than the sweetness of a cheap price. We try to engage with our clients by developing joint commercial synergies, reviews and a general higher level of service rather than a one-off print job. Has the market changed and are customers looking beyond price? Sadly, I don’t feel that is the case. Customers are fixed on low cost and only a few are interested in developing long term professional relationship.
JULY/AUGUST 2022
|
product media
| 29
