Do Promotional Products Work?

Every now and then, at Flat World Design, we encounter a promotional products skeptic – a marketer who has had less than optimum results with the use of promotional products, or one who simply has not seen the research on promotional products usage, or survey data on the effectiveness of promotional products. They ask us, “Do promotional products really work?”

Well, here’s something we’d like to share with skeptics…

Survey results on the “effectiveness of promotional products” speak for themselves:

Promotional products can be very effective - if they are used correctly!A late 2009, two-part study designed by Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) and fielded through independent research company MarketTools, Inc. evaluated a cross-section of the American consumer population about television, print, online and promotional products advertising.  The study surveyed more than 1,000 consumers who recalled receiving a promotional product in the previous 24 months.

The first part of the study, titled “Effectiveness Of Promotional Products As An Advertising Medium,” focused solely on promotional products and evaluated the action, reaction and relationship of products and their recipients. The study found that:

  • 94 percent could recall a promotional product they had received in the past two years
  • 89 percent could also recall the advertiser
  • 83 percent reported that they liked receiving promotional products
  • 48 percent would like to receive promotional products more often
  • 69 percent generally keep the promotional product

How Consumers Feel:

  • 83% of American consumers surveyed like receiving a promotional product with an advertising message
  • 48% would like to receive promotional products more often
  • 38% feel promotional products serve as a constant reminder of the advertiser

The Message

  • How do recipients feel about receiving a promotional product?
  • What purpose do they think the item serves?
  • What actions do they take?

These are crucial questions every advertiser should know and understand, as the answers can have a dramatic impact on their ROI.

How Consumers Act:

Q: If free promotional products were being handed out by an advertiser at an event / mall / trade show which of the following actions would consumers most likely take?
A: 69% of the respondents said they would pick up a promotional product – if they found it to be useful!

Do promotional products work? Here are the results of effectiveness of promotional products survey...

The Results

Consumers are inundated with advertising messages and the challenge for businesses is find a way to cut through the clutter and to not only reach their target audience, but to resonate with them. And, according to survey respondents, promotional products do just that. Respondents were asked to think of a promotional product they’d received in the past two years and to recall the specific product, the advertiser and the message: A whopping 76.2% recalled all three key pieces of information.

The Staying Power

Promotional products are powerful, both as effective forms of communication and as useable, necessary tools. The following results reveal just how seamlessly promotional products integrate into life, impacting the daily routines of the recipients.

  • 91% had at least one promotional product in their kitchen
  • 74% had at least one promotional product in their work area
  • 55% had at least one promotional product in their bedroom closet/storage space

The Takeaway

Here is the bottom line.  There is solid, statistics-driven research that shows that your target audience:

  • Likes promotional products.
  • Keeps promotional products.
  • Wants more promotional products.

So – what are  you waiting for?  Call or email us for a complimentary copy of the study.  We also have links to a lot more research on promotional products usage, market data and focus group studies, which we are happy to share with you.