What PPAI wants most is to get it all right, and to justly recognize the companies who are creating the proverbial rising tide that lifts all boats. PPAI • JANUARY 2026 • 35 It’s not a beauty contest. Beauty, after all, is in the eye of the beholder. And truly, every company vying for a spot among the PPAI 100 has much to be proud of. Instead, PPAI 100 is an objective measurement of the progress we’re all driving. Its goal is to identify the promotional products industry’s leading companies – organizations that demonstrate strong performance, responsible leadership, trusted reputations and a commitment to sustained excellence. It would be much easier to create if it were more subjective. In a given year, PPAI’s research team compiles tens of thousands of individual data points to ensure every company’s leadership is measured accurately and fairly, and to provide clear insight into the criteria that define industry excellence. It is an index that evaluates dozens of measurable indicators, from financial performance and growth to workforce stability, marketplace credibility, responsibility disclosures and innovation practices. What PPAI wants most is to get it all right, and to justly recognize the companies who are creating the proverbial rising tide that lifts all boats. Companies don’t need to reinvent themselves to score well. They need to understand how the model works, provide the most complete information possible and ensure their leadership is visible in the categories where it already exists. If your goal in 2026 and beyond is to earn the highest score possible – or simply to avoid missing out on credit you’ve rightly earned – this playbook outlines 26 practical ways to help us maximize accuracy and account for your performance. Revenue & Growth: The Engine of the Index 1Submit your actual previous-year revenue (and back it up). Revenue is the single most heavily weighted factor in the PPAI 100 measurement. Providing documentation unlocks a scoring bonus rooted in accuracy and validation. 2Respond if PPAI uses an estimated revenue figure. If you choose not to provide revenue, silence results in a penalty. Offering a directional adjustment or confirmation of PPAI’s estimate protects your score. 3Confirm your membership tier’s revenue range. Companies cannot be scored above their tier’s recommended revenue range, and only Professional tier members are eligible. Speak with your account manager now to avoid being capped. For 2026, tier changes must be approved by 11:59:59 p.m. Central on March 8. Companies with an International PPAI membership will be eligible for PPAI 100 but must provide revenue validation documents. 4Understand how growth is measured. Both absolute growth in dollars and percentage growth over the previous three years are included. Consistency and improvement translate directly into stronger scoring but can create variability from year to year. 5Make sure to properly account for M&A activity. PPAI will ask for both last year’s revenue and revenue three years prior. If your company has added business through acquisition during those three years, make sure that: • The more recent figure includes all entities. • The older figure only includes the parent company as it existed at the time. The PPAI 100 Playbook | Must Read Want more insights? Listen to Season 1 of Voice & Force at PPAI.org/podcast for deeper perspectives on making the most of PPAI 100.
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