Links Unlimited Joins Brand Experience Coalition

Industry-leading master fulfillment company Links Unlimited has joined the Brand Experience Coalition, an alliance created by Certif-A-Gift, Harco Incentives, Bulova Corporate Sales and Pulse Experiential Travel in conjunction with the Enterprise Engagement Alliance to educate promotional products distributors, incentive & reward companies and the corporate marketplace on the power of the Brand Experience in promotional products, event and business gifts, and rewards & recognition programs. 

 

“We love our brands," says Links Unlimited President Scott Kooken. "We have worked hard to build solid, long-term relationships with some of the best brands in the world. We've been entrusted to represent their products in special markets, and we work closely with our brand partners to help them navigate non-traditional sales channels. We collaborate with our brand partners to determine a winning approach for strategic product positioning, communicate and provide advice on promotional opportunities, and offer continued support in building brand recognition in special markets, which includes supporting rewards and loyalty programs, our incentive company and other reseller partners, as well as the use of brands for corporate and event gift giving and promotional products.”

 

Adds Kooken: “In partnering with brands, we commit to purchasing and inventorying their products for quick and easy distribution to the customer, while maintaining strict brand integrity and program usage guidelines.” 

 

Bruce Bolger, President of the Enterprise Engagement Alliance, which runs the Brand Experience Coalition, says, “We're proud to announce the participation of Cincinnati-based Links Unlimited in this new coalition. Links has demonstrated its commitment to helping organizations of all sizes profit from the power of brands to achieve their internal and external engagement goals. The company has a lineup of some of the world’s leading brands, which makes it a perfect addition to our growing number of industry leaders committed to elevating the art and science of rewards and recognition.” Click here for a list of the company’s current brands. 

 

The Brand Experience Coalition was founded by Andy Tobutt, CEO, Certif-A-Gift Corp.; Saro Hartounian, President of Harco Incentives Inc.; Adrienne Forest, Vice President, Corporate Sales, Bulova; and Marc Matthews, President of Pulse Experiential Travel. In a joint statement, the founders explain: “There is now nearly 20 years of industry research, which very few corporate practitioners are aware of, and a marketplace in search of more measurable solutions because of ISO standards and growing pressure from investors for more formal people management practices. It’s time for us to work together to educate the marketplace and to promote more sales of brands in business and employee/event gifts, brand awareness and business gifts, the main three categories or programs sold through distributors, as well as sales, dealer and employee incentives and rewards.” The primary goals of the Brand Experience Coalition are to:

• Promote industry leaders committed to elevating our field through the use of science, research and the brand experience, starting with a new Directory of Suppliers committed to best practices: the Engaging Rewards Brand Manual.

• Consistently promote through the Enterprise Engagement Alliance and other business media the importance of program design, both to the trade and end-users, and in particular the importance of certification programs offered by the Incentive Marketing Association, Recognition Professionals International, Enterprise Engagement Academy and other industry organizations. 

• Educate end-users on the power of rewards & recognition programs and brands at the Engagement World road show, beginning April 1-2 at Selling Power’s Sales 3.0 Conference. 

• Educate promotional products distributors and other trade specialists on the importance of brands, both as incentives and promotional products, and the stories they help companies tell through their products and business gifts, as well as incentive, recognition and other reward programs. 

• Provide the industry with the tools needed to educate end-users on the benefits of incorporating the findings of considerable research demonstrating the need for expertise in program design, brand selection and personalization to maximize the reward experience. 

 

 

For More Information:

Bruce Bolger

President

Enterprise Engagement Alliance 

Bolger@TheEEA.org

914-591-7600, ext. 230

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