New research released extoling the benefits of promotional merchandise

The New Year has brought with it new research into the efficacy of promotional merchandise as a marketing tool. The BPMA have just released the findings of their second National study, carried out by an independent research company, which questioned 1000 business people about how they use and what they like about promotional merchandise. ASI, the Advertising Speciality Institute, have also released results from a global survey which shows that promotional products consistently rank among the most effective and enduring advertising mediums available.

We published the press release with the BPMA’s survey findings earlier this month (click here to read) and surprisingly the top item on the list of products people state would be most likely to motivate them to use the company or view them favourably was gift baskets, with a massive 43.3%. I say surprisingly because, from our Quick Quotes board we do tend to get a general feel for the type of promotional gifts companies are ordering for their customers. However, we rarely get quote requests for gift baskets. This may be down to the cost of ordering multiple products but the evidence from the survey suggests that it may well be worth it for the positive impact the gift will generate among customers.

However, there was good news for those companies with a limited marketing spend as well. The relatively inexpensive coffee mug ranked number 6 in the survey results with 18% of the respondents listing it. Other inexpensive items listed included pens, with 15.3%, sticky note pads, with 11.2%, and key rings, with 9.3%.

ASI’s global survey also produced favourable results. ASI's research team hit the streets and interviewed consumers in 12 North American and European cities from July to September 2012. 52% of the respondents stated that branded products gave them a more favourable impression of the advertiser, a trend seen in every country surveyed.

ASI’s study also found that most people owned about 10 promotional products which they generally keep for nearly six months, a far longer time period than any other form of advertising. This result was mirrored in the survey commissioned by the BPMA, with findings stating that Two-thirds of the respondents keep promotional products for over six months and 44 per cent keep them for over one year.

Both studies also proved that promotional merchandise has a positive impact upon buying behaviour. The BPMA commissioned survey found that 94 per cent of respondents remembered the advertiser or the product/service advertised even after six months of having received the promotional item. 39 per cent of the respondents stated that they are more likely to use a business that has given them a promotional product, when the need for the advertised product or service arises, rather than a similar business that had not given them anything.

Similar results were found by ASI when they asked consumers how likely they were to do business with an advertiser they hadn’t previously done business with after receiving an item. About 31 per cent said they were more likely to do business with them in the future. ASI also noted that certain products generated more good will than others. For example, about 53 per cent of recipients of branded outerwear said they would be more likely to do business with an advertiser; recipients of USB drives were 43 per cent more likely to do business with an advertiser; and bag recipients were 42 per cent more likely. This suggests that the usefulness of a product not only has a direct impact on how long a product is kept but also on people’s impressions of a company and how likely they will be to buy from them in the future.

Both studies provide unequivocal evidence that the impact of promotional products provides a cheaper and longer lasting form of advertising than most other mediums. The investment in branded products is modest, more targeted and more achievable for smaller businesses than other forms of advertising, and it really works! These statistics prove that promotional merchandise should be at the forefront of any marketing campaign.

Lauren Cayless White
Editor

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