She’s been in business for several decades but knows how critical it is to remain at the top of your game. As a result, her drive for perfection has led Mary Jo Tomasini to new industry certification, and she continues her path of lifelong learning to best benefit the clients she has in her business enterprise.
Tomasini is founder of Competitive Edge on Red Arrow Highway in Stevensville. She has earned the certification of Master Advertising Specialist Plus, MAS+, administered by Promotional Products Association International, a not-for-profit association for more than 15,000 corporate members of the $22 billion promotional products industry. As such, she is in a highly elite group of just 25 people among the 500,000 global practitioners in her field.
The Certified Advertising Specialist (CAS), Master Advertising Specialist (MAS) and Master Advertising Specialist Plus (MAS+) Certifications are the promotional products industry’s premier professional designations. Individuals with a PPAI Certification are seen as industry leaders—those who have attained a higher standard of professional competence, knowledge and experience. PPAI industry certification is acquired through a combination of:
- Required certification classes
- Demonstrated years of employment in the industry
- Education
- Industry contributions
- Successful demonstration of expertise.
Certification is maintained through continuing education to ensure current knowledge and leading-edge professional skills.
The Certified Advertising Specialist (CAS) Certification requires 75 hours from a structured industry approved curriculum, a minimum three years of experience in the promotional products industry and a passing score on the CAS Certification exam. The rigorous curriculum required includes an overview of the promotional products industry, promotional programs, best practices/ supplier-distributor relations, advertising and marketing overview, product safety basics and business ethics. Upon completion of the core curriculum, individuals then have the opportunity to structure their own course schedules to deliver the greatest relevance and value for their careers.
The Master Advertising Specialist (MAS) Certification requires completion of and current CAS Certification, a minimum five years of experience in the promotional products industry, additional MAS level course curriculum, industry service and passing a comprehensive exam.
The PPAI Master Advertising Specialist Plus (MAS+) Certification is an advanced industry program targeted towards seasoned promotional products professionals with seven or more years of industry experience. This project-based certification requires demonstrating advanced promotional products industry knowledge with the submittal of a work product in lieu of a comprehensive examination. Currently there are 25 MAS+ designees amongst the approximately 500,000 global industry practitioners’.
Through industry certification, promotional products professionals can earn the designations of Certified Advertising Specialist (CAS), Master Advertising Specialist (MAS) or Master Advertising Specialist Plus (MAS+). PPAI Certification demonstrates a commitment to both business excellence and continual professional growth. A relatively small percentage of professionals hold these certifications and are known as the industry’s innovators and leaders. PPAI Certification Program has been recognized as a reliable indicator of professionalism and excellence in the promotional products industry.
The promotional products industry considers their medium as an essential element in the marketing communications mix. They will tell you that a “branded” tangible product turns an ordinary message into a marketing experience an audience can see, touch, hear, smell and even taste.
The CAS credentialing program was unveiled in early 1961 at the Executive Development Seminar at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland where attendees were awarded the CAS designation. The program expanded as time went on, offering those who were interested an opportunity to apply a cachet of professionalism to their work. In 1983, the board established the Master Advertising Specialist (MAS) designation and adopted the then nationally recognized program of skills attainment, Certified Education Units (CEUs). In 1999, PPAI administered the first qualifying examination, as the focus of the program shifted to its current role as a professional designation. In 2012, PPAI introduced the Master Advertising Specialist Plus (MAS+) designation, the industry’s highest level of achievement in certification.
Founded in 1903, the Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) is the world’s largest and oldest not-for-profit association serving more than 11,000 corporate members of the $20 billion promotional products industry which is comprised of more than 33,700 businesses and a workforce of more than 500,000 professionals. They represent the industry in Washington, D.C., and advocate on its behalf.
