Promotional Products are any items imprinted with logo or message. From pens to T-shirts, caps and jackets and more, promotional products drive your message home and leave a lasting impression.
Long after a potential customer meets you and months after the annual meeting or the employee motivation program, people will remember your company and the event whenever they use or see the item they received then. A 2000 industry survey found that 95% of business executives have in their office at least one promotional product with another business’ logo on it.
That’s a lot of staying power and its one reason that promotional products are increasingly used by businesses. Promotional products encourage, inspire and remind while advertising and/or promoting a company and its message and businesses are using them for that and more.
Promotional products are used mostly as business gifts. The survey, found that business gifts were the Number 1 use of promotional products.
Here’s a list of the top uses:
– Business gifts
– Event marketing
– Trade shows
– Employee Relations
– Public Relations
– Motivation and Incentives
– Traffic building
– Recognition/Service awards
– Brand awareness
– Souvenir/remembrance
– Safety Programs
– Product Rollouts
– Point-of-Purchase
– Direct-Mail Marketing
When is good time to use promotional products?
Research studies have shown the outstanding effectiveness of promotional products ( especially in a tough economy ) in developing brand identity, generating leads, improving direct mail/advertising responses, encouraging repeat/return business, increasing trade show traffic and building customer loyalty.
Each month hosts abundant opportunities to use promotional products for variety of reasons:
– Corporate gift-giving
– Safety programs
– Building customer loyalty
– Launching a new product
– Corporate endorsement
– Charity sponsorships
– Employee incentives
– Consumer education
– Reinforcing your brand
– Awards / recognition
– Product tie-ins
– Commemoratives
How are promotional products marketing used?
Since promotional products can be used alone, or integrated with other media, there are virtually limitless ways to use them. Popular programs cited most often by industry counselors (called distributors) are business gifts; employee relations; orientation programs; corporate communications; and at trade shows to generate booth traffic.
They’re also effective for dealer/distribution programs; co-op programs; company stores; generating new customers or new accounts; nonprofit fundraising; public awareness; campaigns; and for promotion of brand awareness and brand loyalty. Other uses include employee incentive programs; new product or service introduction; and marketing research for survey and focus group participants
What kinds of promotional products are available?
There are literally tens of thousands of different types and styles of promotional products. In many cases, it’s even possible to obtain custom items that aren’t found in any catalogue. Examples of common items include: pens, calendars, T-shirts, coffee mugs, calculators, key chains, desk accessories and bags. What are some of the pros and cons of using imprinted promotional products?
Pros: Promotional products marketing fits into any advertising budget, complements other media, can be directed to selected audiences and remains to repeat the advertising message each time the product is used, without extra cost per exposure. People like to receive them. And since the items are useful and appealing they are effective as incentives and motivators. As there are so many products available, there is a lot of flexibility in planning a successful promotion.
Cons: On many products the imprint area is limited. Production time could range from days to as much as eight weeks depending on the product and the complexity of the imprint. And, unlike broadcast or other media where there is automatic distribution, with promotional products advertising, you must plan a distribution method.
Research Shows:
Recipients of promotional products remember the advertiser’s name. A study by Schreiber & Associates (Peoria, IL) showed that 39 percent of the people receiving a promotional product could recall the name of the advertiser as long as six months after they received it.
Promotional products are ideal for creating awareness among a selective audience. Southern Methodist University conducted a study to measure attendee awareness of demonstrations in three university communities. They found that selective distribution of promotional products out pulled school newspaper advertising by two-to-one.
Promotional products, used as dimensional in direct mail solicitations, can boost response rates by up to 75 percent, according to a study by one of US University.
Customer reorders faster and more often when promotional products are used instead of coupon. In a study by Southern Methodist University, customers receiving promotional products reordered coupons and up to 13 percent sooner than those who receive no promotion.
Promotional products effectively reinforce employee sales contests, too. A Taylor university study of the month-long sales contests in retail establishments indicates that contests reinforces by periodic distribution of promotional products were cost-effective and outperformed non-stimulated contests by up to 50 percent.
Reference:
- promotional products
