Promotional Products…Adding Value Like No Ad Can
I recently shared some results from a survey conducted by the Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI). In several posts, I talked about how well promotional products work, and which ones have the most positive influence on the recipient’s opinions about the advertiser.
Still, I didn’t get a chance to share what I think is the best thing about promotional products, and why I think they deliver such excellent ROI. In my view, their biggest advantage is in how long they last. What other form of advertising do people keep around for weeks, months, even years after they are first exposed to it?
The Difference between “Delete” and Delight
Compare the response generated by promotional items to that of a unsolicited promotional email, like the ones we receive in our email inbox every day. The email most often doesn’t even get opened if the recipient isn’t sure who you are.
Television and radio ads are, of course, history as soon as the message is over. Newspaper ads survive for a day, if that. Magazine ads may last a bit longer, but to what purpose if they are buried deep inside one magazine in a pile of seven in a rack somewhere?
Promotional products receive a much warmer reception. Let’s face it, people are always happy to get “something for nothing.” And when it’s something useful, that appreciation is almost guaranteed. But more on that in a moment.
The Gift That Keeps On Promoting
The ASI research on advertising impressions for 2015 showed that the average promotional product is kept by the recipient for over seven months. So your logo keeps doing its job, reminding that potential customer, not to mention his or her friends, family, co-workers and office visitors, of you at every glance.
According to the survey results, promotional umbrellas have the longest “staying power” at 14 months. I guess people save them for a rainy day? Sorry, couldn’t resist. Branded mobile power banks and, not surprisingly, promotional calendars are next at 12 months. Calendars are especially valuable, since they are typically loaded up with names, phone numbers, and dates to remember.
Drinkware, outerwear and fleece, and USB drives all check in at eight months or more. T-shirts, caps and headwear and writing implements are kept for six months, on average. What do all these items have in common?
“Useful” Promotional Products Are the Most Appreciated
The survey asked respondents about several aspects of promotional items, including how “attractive” they are, and how “enjoyable’ they are to have. But the one reason cited most often by a large margin as the most important factor in the decision to keep the item was its “usefulness.”
For writing instruments and USB drives, more than 90% of people said they kept them because they were useful. And 80% or more cited “usefulness” for nearly every other item I’ve mentioned in this post.
Useful Information to Have
Would you like to know some other factors that rate highly in customer decisions to keep a promotional product? Outerwear, for example, is appreciated for its attractiveness, according to 49% of those surveyed. Take a look at our online promotional products catalog or give me a call and I can I can work with you to come up with some ideal choices for your next promotional product offering. I think you’ll find the conversation pretty useful. And I’d like to think that after working with us, you’ll keep us around a while, too.
