The short answer? YES.
But, don’t just take our (slightly biased) word for it. The studies and stats speak for themselves.
- A 2017 PPAI Study ranked promotional products the No 1 most effective form of advertising, across all generations. It concluded that, ‘promotional products are built to leverage the greatest reach, drive recall and fiercely resonate to engage the best reaction among consumers, relative to any advertising channel.’
- According to an ASI Study respondents owned an average of 9.8 promotional products, most of which they kept for at least 8 months. Their recall was also impressive, with 85% of consumers remembering advertisers who gave them a shirt or a hat.
- A Study by Identity Works revealed that 71% of trade show attendees remembered the name of the company who gave them the promotional products, with 76% of attendees having a favorable attitude to the company as a result.
Despite the strong push towards digital advertising, year after year, the studies continue to prove that promotional marketing works. Even better, promotional merchandise works across all the key pillars – Reach, Recall, Resonance and Repeat Exposure – ensuring your marketing campaign has the best chance of success.
Let’s look at the top 3 reasons promotional products work.
Promotional Products Are Cost Effective:
A 2016 Advertising Speciality Impressions study of over 100,000 consumers, showed that dollar for dollar, impression for impression, giving away logoed products is the most cost effective form of advertising. In addition to being budget friendly, their popularity is evident, with the under 55’s in the group preferring branded merchandise over all other forms of advertising. Promotional products are not only well received, they are actively sought out, with research showing that 83% of customers look for promotional products when getting an advertising message. In terms of cost, your business also benefits from the perceived value of the gift. This is especially the case for larger, bulk orders. When a product is bundled with a complimentary promotional gift, the total value of the overall package is increased considerably beyond that of item’s original cost.
Promotional Products Show You Care:
In addition to being useful, people love promotional products because they don’t cost anything to receive. But money isn’t all that matters, according to Gene Marks, from Entrepreneur.com – ‘It’s not just the money,’ explains Marks. “It’s the little act of saying ‘I care’ and ‘Thank you for being a customer.” It is the sentiment more than the cost that resonates, with Marks reminding us that, “a stupid, silly act of kindness goes a long way.” In terms of your bottom line, this ‘kindness’ directly benefits your ROI, with consumers reporting they are 83% more likely to do business with the brand.
Promotional Products Have Staying Power:
The ASI Study reported that the average length of time promotional items are kept for is 8 months. Some products, such as umbrellas, make themselves at home for as long as 14 months. Both stats proving that branded merchandise offers an excellent, long-term return on investment. Whether they are kept for their usefulness (80%), or their attractiveness (26%), they continue to be a visual reminder promoting your business day-after-day. In fact, long after they have forwarded through the ads, overtaken the bus, or refreshed their browser, the name of your business is still front and centre. It’s on the mug they are holding, the pen they chewing, or the hat they are wearing.
Better still, your customers then go on to become your brand ambassadors, with 67% of those surveyed passing along the item to somebody else.
Do Promotional Products work? Yes. They. Do.
Get in contact with the team at Inck today. We’d love to discuss how we can help market your brand, with promotional products that have a proven track record.
