3 Reasons Promotional Products are Essential to Marketing Success

Branded promotional products have been around for a long time – and with good reason! Not only are they highly effective at strengthening brand recognition, they also provide long-lasting value and are among the most cost-effective marketing tools.

Read on for 3 reasons why your business absolutely needs to be using promotional products, as well as tips for using them more efficiently.

1. They Effectively Strengthen Brand Recognition

According to recent survey data, 80% of American people own between 1 and 10 promotional products at any given time. Of these people, 53% use one of their promotional items at least once per week!

That level of near-constant exposure helps bolster brand recognition, and encourages consumers to create positive associations with your brand. In fact, new data suggests that promotional products may even be more effective at achieving these goals than radio and TV advertising.

In one study, 57% of people were able to remember the name of the brand they saw on a promotional mug. Comparatively, only 32% could recall the brand from a radio advertisement, and only 28% from a TV commercial.

And of course, diversifying your marketing efforts to reach your audience across multiple channels is always a smart idea. Adding a promotional product to your organization’s marketing mix could increase the effectiveness of your other marketing media by up to 44%.

2. They Have Long-Lasting Impact

Whereas many traditional forms of advertising – like a highway billboard or TV commercial – pass by your audience in the blink of an eye, promotional goods stick around for the long haul.

Roughly 60% of people say that they keep their promotional products for up to two years. That means that even if your products don’t generate new business right away, there’s a good chance that they’ll prove effective over time.

Additionally, 89% of consumers are able to recall the brand they saw on a promotional product for up to two years after receiving it.

3. They’re Highly Cost-Effective

The vast majority of promotional items are extremely inexpensive to manufacture; for instance, branded pens, baseball caps, t-shirts, or notebooks. Even more “premium” items like backpacks, stainless steel water bottles, and golf accessories are affordable to purchase in bulk.

In terms of maximum cost-effectiveness, writing utensils and bags are the promotional items that offer the absolute lowest cost per impression. This is good news; a whopping 31% of American consumers own a promotional bag, and bags also generate more impressions than any other single promotional item.

Many organizations hesitate to add promotional goods to their marketing mix because they’re worried the items will go to waste. But data shows that while nearly 20% of people do toss unwanted promotional products in the trash, 66% pass them along for someone else to use.

This sequence of re-gifting promotional products not only boosts the number of impressions per item, but also lowers the total cost per impression.

How to Use Promotional Products More Effectively

Ahough promotional products can be a highly effective marketing tool, there are still some best practices and guidelines you should follow. The number one rule for success? Know your audience!

Studies show that men are more likely to own and use promotional shirts and hats, while women prefer bags and writing utensils. In both cases, usefulness matters – in fact, 77% of people say usefulness is the number one reason they keep a promotional item.

It’s also important to understand how consumers use promotional items. 91% of people who own a promotional item have one in their workspace, while 74% have one in their kitchen. This suggests that office supplies and drink ware are especially likely to be used by consumers.

Lastly, is your business located in the American midwest? If so, add branded outerwear to the top of your list of ideas. 15% of people who live in this region report owning this type of item – the highest percentage of any area in the nation.

The Markey Group has access to more than 700,000 high-quality promotional items. Learn more about our branded products!