There are, no doubt, plenty of new strategies and “best practices” for establishing and reinforcing your brand, but that doesn’t mean that tried-and-true techniques are out of date. Promotional products — the key fobs, calendars and other giveaways that have been used as marketing tools for more than two centuries — continue to prove their staying power is not by accident.
“The important differentiator between promotional products and any other advertising medium is the physicality of it — the fact that it’s a tangible product that lasts longer than a fleeting digital or traditional ad and affects behavior,” says Paul Bellantone, President of the Promotional Products Association International.
In an effort to better understand the effectiveness of this medium from the consumer’s perspective, PPAI designed and conducted a study to evaluate the action, reaction and relationship of promotional products and their recipients.
The reach
Of an audience consisting of the average American consumer, a little less than half (44 percent or 1,005 people) reported receiving a promotional product in the last 24 months. Nine out of 10 (90.4 percent) reported either currently owning or possessing a promotional product received within the last 24 months.
How do recipients feel about receiving a promotional product? Why do they think they were given the item? What actions do they take? These are crucial questions every advertiser should know and understand, as the answers can have a dramatic impact on their ROI.
How they feel
• 83% of respondents like receiving a promotional product with an advertising message
• 48% would like to receive promotional products more often
• 30% like receiving personalized promotional products
(i.e. with their name/personal info on it)
• 25% like getting promotional products to refer to the advertiser’s contact info if needed
• 38% feel promotional products serve as a constant reminder of the advertiser
• 49% are not bothered by seeing a corporate logo on a promotional product
• Only 2% dislike receiving promotional products
What they think
Are more expensive gifts perceived differently than inexpensive ones? If a logo-imprinted promotional product perceived to be expensive was handed out, the majority of respondents say they would believe the item was given to them as both an advertising medium and a gift:
• 6% would believe the item to be a business gift
• 33% would believe the item was a form of advertising
• 59% would believe the item to be both
If a logo-imprinted promotional product perceived to be inexpensive was handed out, the majority of respondents say they would believe the item was given to them as an advertising medium:
• 2% would believe the item to be a business gift
• 66% would believe the item was a form of advertising
• 32% would believe the item to be both
How they act
• 69% generally keep the promotional product if they have a use for it
• 36% generally give the product to others if they have no use for it — ensuring additional exposure for the advertiser
• 35% generally keep the product if they like the advertiser
• 27% generally keep the product if they like the message it carries
• 20% generally throw away promotional products if they have no use for them
• Only 17% forget the types of promotional products they receive
• 16% of respondents say they prefer to do business with companies that give promotional products
• Only 9% forget the advertiser/product advertised after having the promotional product for more than six months
The impression
More than half (58 percent) of respondents keep a promotional product anywhere from one year to more than four years. Even if the recipient uses the item only once per week, that’s a minimum of 52 impressions made over the course of a year with the possibility of more than 208 during a five-year window. And, this doesn’t factor in the countless number of impressions made by others who view the promotional product when in use by the recipient.
• 21% keep the promotional product more than four years
• 10% keep the promotional product two to four years
• 27% keep the promotional product one to two years
• 21% keep the promotional product six to 12 months
• 15% keep the promotional product two to five months
• 6% keep the promotional product one month
One advantage of promotional products, say Bellantone, is their ability to target key demographics and cut through the clutter of advertising. These products can effectively deliver a promotional message where other marketing mediums fail.
“They are personal, they are distributed virally, they can be highly targeted, people keep them because they are useful, and they break through the clutter,” he says. “It’s the only advertising medium that people say ‘thank you’ for when advertising your brand. They are the only form of marketing that touch all five senses allowing the consumer to own, keep or share the brand experience.”
