PPAI recently added AJ Cole, CAS, to the team as the Association’s new Promotional Products Work initiative manager.

Managing PPW

In this role, Cole will be responsible for the development of the initiative’s global marketing strategy, which includes public relations, strategic regional communications and field marketing.

  • She will aim to drive end-buyer demand and further PPAI’s vision that promotional products are universally valued and essential to every brand.

“PPAI represents an industry that is full of rich history, creative vibrance, and forward-thinking,” Cole says. “I am excited to promote an initiative that is designed to inspire organizational gifting, which I consider to be the most intrinsic form of marketing. Gifting has been influencing business decisions for centuries and now I get to tell that story.”

A Career In Marketing

Cole brings a wealth of expertise, having served in marketing leadership roles and with first-hand experience implementing successful promotional product strategies.

  • She has also been a guest lecturer in marketing and business courses at the University of Houston and the University of St. Thomas.

“I’ve owned and invested in several businesses throughout the years and having the opportunity to thrive in an intrapreneurial environment has been an exciting change of pace,” Cole says. “I feel strongly about leading an initiative that promotes the value of promotional product strategies, particularly because I have been an end-buyer for years and have experienced the success of strategic promo.”

Outside The Office

Passionate about making a difference, Cole’s experience also includes leading philanthropic initiatives, serving as the primary host of Houston’s Heroes Aim for Zero, a fundraiser and collaborative event highlighting the internationally recognized Vision Zero efforts within Texas.

Cole and her husband have twins that are 2-and-a-half years old. Much of her free time is spent outdoors playing with the kids, gardening or tinkering in the garage. She enjoys refinishing furniture and repurposing old things to give them new life. She’s also written and self-published a few books, all business related, and enjoys longform content writing and poetry.