The Debate is Over, Ad Specialties High Scores Can’t be Overlooked

Marketers often debate over what will be the next great advertising medium. A new study released by the Advertising Specialty Institute found it's not TV, print or radio that gets consumers' attention, but good old promotional swag.
This includes coffee mugs, pencils, retractable solar-powered flashlights or any other product bearing a company logo. Promotional products made up a $15.639 billion industry in 2009, per the ASI. Through surveys conducted both online and in-person in major cities, such as New York and Los Angeles, the institute also found that promotional products generate a cost-per-impression average of $0.004, compared to $.033 for national magazine ads or $0.019 for prime time TV ads.
The surveys asked 600 participants (who were mostly businesspeople over the age of 21) to recall promotional swag received over the last 12 months. Key findings include:
-- 84 percent of consumers remembered an advertiser based on a product they received.

-- 42 percent had a more favorable impression of an advertiser after receiving a promotional product.

-- Nearly one quarter (24 percent) indicated they are more likely to do business with an advertiser based on items they receive.

-- The majority of respondents (62 percent) have done business with an advertiser after receiving a product.

-- Writing instruments are the most commonly owned, with 54 percent of respondents owning them, followed by shirts, caps and bags.

-- Most (81 percent) promotional products were kept because they were considered useful.

-- More than three-quarters of respondents have kept their items for about seven months.

-- Among wearable’s, bags were reported to be used most frequently, with respondents indicating that they use their bags on average nine times per month.

-- Bags deliver the most impressions, with 1,038 impressions per month on average.
The findings indicate that promotional products yield a higher ROI, along with very low cost-per-impression, compared to other advertising media. Moreover, items received this year generated a high recall rate among recipients, leading to greater purchase intent.
During a time when we're facing turbulent economic conditions, this research advises marketers and business owners to invest in advertising specialties i.e. promotional products, now more than ever. Advertising specialties provide measurable results for a very reasonable investment.

Promotional Products: Impact, Exposure and Influence.

Reach:

• 71% of an audience consisting primarily of business people reported having received a promotional product in the last 12 months.

• Moreover, Moreover 33.7% of this group had the item on their person—a coveted location for advertising that gets seen regularly.

Recall:

When asked:

• 76.1% of the respondents could recall the advertiser’s name on the product that they had received in the past 12 months.

• In comparison, participants were also asked if they had read a newspaper or magazine in the past week. 80% of the participants said yes, but only 53.5% of them could recall the name of a single advertiser.

See chart.
Impression Of The Advertiser:

Promotional Products are powerful opinion change agents. Results of the study reveal:

• 52% of respondents did business with the advertiser after receiving the promotional product.

• Of those who had not done business with the advertiser, almost half stated that they were more likely to do business with the organization that gave them the item.

• The impression of the advertiser is important in building a brand. 52.1% of the participants reported their impression was more favorable since receiving the item.

Frequent Exposure/Low Cost Per Impression:

The frequency of promotional products use is tantamount to advertising exposure. Of those who reported using the promotional item, 73% stated that they used it at least once a week. 45.2% used it at least once a day. In media measurement, the greater the frequency of exposure, the lower the cost per impression.

Repeated Exposure:

How long do people generally keep promotional products?

55% of participants generally kept their promotional products for more than a year. This means repeated exposure over a long period of time.






Why Keep The Item?

Note the chart above showing how long people generally keep promotional products. Why do they hold onto the promotional items for so long? This study found:

• 75.4% thought the item was useful.

• 20.2% thought the item was attractive.

• 1% refer to the item for information.

• 3.3% had other reasons for keeping the item.

Pass-Along Exposure:

Participants of the study were asked what they do with promotional products they do not plan to keep. Their responses indicate the possibilities of pass-along exposure.

• 26% of participants reported that they give the item away to someone else.

• 45% file the item away.

• 30% throw the item away if they do not plan to keep it.

The 26% who give the product to someone else clearly provide ample pass-along exposure to the advertiser similar to that of magazine advertising.

In A Nutshell:

Promotional Products furnish advertisers with advantages that may not be available in other media. These include:

• High recall where the name of the advertiser is remembered.

• Repeated exposure to the advertising message because of length of time the item is kept.

• A more favorable impression of the advertiser, resulting in a propensity to do business with the organization giving the item.

Promotional products can provide key elements to an advertising campaign and enhance opportunity for driving a message far beyond traditional media.