Prabha Tanna, the senior manager of Brand Governance for Fortune 500 company Bank of Montreal (BMO), walked the Power Summit Canada audience through the steps she takes in creating promotions for BMO's clients and employees that bolster the venerated brand. ‎"Because BMO's slogan is 'We're here to help,' we feel strongly that the promo products we use in supporting our brand are functional and showcase our logo in the best way possible," Tanna said.

Pointing to pens, magnets and T-shirts as some of the company's go-to items, Tanna conversely identified items that she'd never ‎OK the BMO logo being used on: "Any sort of mat – because I don't want the logo walked on – and, even though I personally like them, nothing edible like cupcakes or candies decorated with the logo. I don't want the brand being eaten."

Steve Pons, vice president of sales for Top 40 distributor Accolade Promotion Group, which was recently acquired by Staples Promotional Products, works with Tanna and BMO to craft promo-driven campaigns. "When I'm looking at products to show Prabha and her team, I always keep authenticity in mind," Pons said. "Will the products show BMO in the best way possible and convey its core messages of helping and valuing customers and employees.”

Routinely named as one of Canada's Best Places to Work companies, Tanna noted that BMO has a robust diversity program and stringent product safety guidelines in place. "And of course, we're always partial to products that are made in Canada," she said.

Counselor spoke to Tanna after her session to find out more of her promotional ideas. Click here to see the interview.