Institute of Sales Promotion

Institute of Sales Promotion

Sales promotion has been at the heart of most major marketing campaigns for over 30 years, from direct mail, point of sale and on-pack to advertising, experiential and digital marketing. It all comes down to delivering a call to action to change behaviour or drive sales.

People and organisations across all industry and media channels are using sales promotion, sometimes not even recognising it or understanding their responsibilities in terms of compliance or best practice. This has come under the spotlight most recently with the controversy over TV competitions.

The Institute of Sales Promotion is taking centre stage in the UK's marketing industry to protect, promote and progress effective sales promotion. It remains the only trade association that truly represents promoters, agencies and service partners engaged in sales promotion.

The ISP offers an extensive range of services both for its members and the wider business community.

Its education and training programmes deliver professional development, qualifications and best practice across various media channels. They are relevant to agencies, brand owners, service partners and other suppliers.

The ISP Diploma remains the definitive qualification in promotional marketing, recognised around the world, while the ISP Certificate offers a solid grounding in the subject.

The portfolio of courses and training on offer continues to grow all the time, reflecting the role of sales promotion across all media channels from digital to direct marketing. New qualifications include the ISP Motivation Diploma, which is for people involved in incentivising staff.

The ISP's respected Legal Advisory Service provides professional guidance on a comprehensive range of legal and code issues affecting promotional marketing. This includes copyright and trade marks as well as the impact of new legislation such as the Gambling Act. It also offers advice on promotional marketing laws in other European countries.

The service is available to both members and non-members, although members enjoy a discounted rate. It offers speedy high-quality practical advice, provided by consultants with very many years of promotional marketing experience. It draws on the close links with the self-regulatory system overseen by the Advertising Standards Authority through the Committee of Advertising Practice.

The ISP is also involved in lobbying on major pieces of legislation and other issues affecting promotional marketing.

Members are given access to information resources to help them develop their businesses and stay informed. The ISP communicates with them through all kinds of channels, including Sales Promotion, an independent magazine that is published in partnership with the ISP.

The highlight of the industry calendar is the ISP Awards, which are a unique opportunity to recognise the creativity and effectiveness of campaigns that promote sales. Each year, this provides a showcase for how sales promotion is being effectively used across all media channels. Winning an ISP Award gives agencies, brand owners and service partners a fantastic boost for their marketing and business development.

The ISP celebrates best practice and award-winning campaigns through its online showcase called Display, which is a database of detailed case studies that provide practical guidance and inspiration.

The awards are part of a calendar of ISP events throughout the year, which help members to network, evaluate the competition, exchange knowledge and meet potential new clients or business partners.

The ISP dates back to 1933 but, while it's celebrating its 75th anniversary next year, it has a forward-looking agenda.