Will Promotional Items Help Your Brand Stay Top Of Mind with Consumers?: Part 3 of 6
In this series on the benefits of advertising with promotional items, I’ve been discussing the results of a recent Promotional Product Association International (PPIA) consumer survey. The survey compares the benefits of various advertising avenues. Findings pointed to the “Five R’s of Promotional Products”—the performance metrics by which we can measure promotional items for effectiveness in connecting with a target audience. In my last post we touched upon “Reach.” Today, I’d like to focus on the second “R”- RECALL.
Reaching your consumers is critical, obviously. But the fact is, if they don’t remember you, it did little good. Plenty of research has been done to show how ineffective much traditional advertising can be. Consumers probably don’t remember the print ads or TV commercials they saw ten minutes ago, let alone last night or last week. Furthermore, if they do remember seeing one, they are just as likely to identify it as being from a competitor as from the brand that payed for it.
Promotional Items Cut Through the Clutter and Connect with Consumers
Recall is one of the best indicators of effective advertising. That’s good news because it’s one thing promotional products is best at. Let’s look first at the most important parts of an advertising message in a bit more detail. You can see it as having three important segments.
- Branding. This is the important first step. Who are you, and what are you selling? People buy from companies they “know.” Make them feel like they know you.
- Messaging. This is where you really connect with consumers. Your message gives them a reason to care, and platform to “feel” something about your business.
- Call to Action. Finally, let’s talk about that moment where the proverbial “rubber meets the road.” This is where you ask potential customers to engage with you by clicking, calling, visiting your trade show booth, or simply speaking with you.
You engage customers or prospects differently depending upon your business and your target audience. But promotional items ‘lock in’ that engagement level better than any other advertising channel.
Recall Means Promotional Items—and Your Brand—Are Remembered
Survey results showed promotional products do an excellent job of delivering on the three segments above. One of the big reasons for that is consumers don’t put up the same “defenses” as they do against other advertising channels. But they sure remember the “advertisers” behind them. Look at these remarkable “aided recall” results when asked about specific promotional products.
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NINE in 10 recall the brand of a promotional item they received. Bottom line, your brand “stuck” in the minds of 90% of the people who received your item.
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EIGHT in 10 recall the messaging characteristics; the situation, the things you wanted them to “connect” with your brand
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SEVEN in 10 recall the call to action. They remember how they got it, and where their interaction with your company took place, whether in person, social media, a website or wherever.
I’m not out to knock other kinds of advertising, but they deliver recall numbers that are in a whole different (and much smaller) ballpark.
Promotional Items Are Part of Consumers’ Lives
People frequently forget ads. But they value promotional products. It’s that simple. So much so that about half of consumers surveyed said they walk around with at least one on their person. Peek at the chart below. It shows that consumers keep promotional products in the places where they live their daily lives. Thus, they are seen often in the car, the kitchen or on their desks. It differs a bit by gender—but that’s information you can use to pick an even more appropriate item to give them.
Brand Recall Starts with a Phone Call
Or a click to connect with us.
Recall is just one of the “five R’s” of promotional products. But it’s a very important one, because business depends on your target audience remembering you, and what you can do for them.
With a promotional item plan in place, you’ll maximize your recall and all the other unique benefits of promotional products. Don’t wait. The time is right now. Contact Superior today or reach out to one of our award-winning promotional item sales reps to ask for a free promotional item audit.
Catch up on the rest of the posts in this series:
Survey: Consumers Say Promotional Items Are the BEST Advertising: Part 1 of 6
What is the REACH of Promotional Items?: Part 2 of 6
What is Consumer Recall of Promotional Items?: Part 3 of 6
Will Promotional Items RESONATE With Your Consumers and Prospects?: Part 4 of 6
How Do Consumers React to Promotional Items? Part 5 of 6
What Is The Relative Value of Promotional Items?: Part 6 of 6
