Promotional Products Really Help Customers Remember Your Brand

 

Promotional products, branded gifts, giveaways, or swag; whatever you call them, they have been around for many years. Even though they are one of the oldest and more traditional forms of advertising, they still work in today’s business world even with all of the advances in digital technology. Not only do we see this on a daily basis with our company, Gopromotional.com, one of the largest promotional product providers in the UK, but there is now scientific research that supports the idea that promotional products improve company image and brand recognition.

British Promotional Merchandise Association Survey Results

The British Promotional Merchandise Association (BPMA) has conducted a series of surveys in recent years. The BPMA surveys consisted of polling recipients of promotional products to gauge how they felt about the companies who gave them the free gift, how they used and how long they kept the products, and how well they remembered the companies who gave out the branded merchandise.  Here are some of the key findings statistics resulting from the survey of close to 15,000 promotional product recipients:

  • 66% of respondents said they could remember the brand name or logo on the promotional product they received during the last year
  • 79% said they would likely to do business with the company in the future
  • 8 out of 10 (84 per cent) respondents said that a branded promotional gift increases brand awareness
  • Over three quarters (87 per cent) of recipients said they kept a promotional gift for longer than 12 months
  • Over half (56 per cent) of respondents said their opinion of the brand/company was more favorable after receiving the promotional product

Looking at each of these 5 key statistics, any one could provide enough reason to run a promotional product test campaign. Read on for more statistics that show you how offering a promotional product can help your business in different ways.

Which Promotional Products are Memorable?

The impact of promotional merchandise on the recipient is shown by the items that respondents remember receiving in the last 12 months:

  • 44% recall receiving a pen
  • 34% recall receiving a mug
  • 31% recall receiving a calendar
  • 22% recall receiving a USB stick
  • 18% recall receiving stationery

Finding the Right Promotional Product for Your Business 

When choosing a promotional product to develop for your advertising campaign, consider factors like usefulness and relevance to your brand. That combination has the most success in product retention, increased brand recognition, and in terms of how long the product is kept. Stephen Barker, BPMA board director tell us: “Usefulness is one of the core reasons for people retaining promotional merchandise and is a key factor in it being used time and time again, providing an on-going reminder of the brand that gave it.” 

What Promotional Products is Most Useful? 

When asked what types of promotional gift they found most useful 21% stated a USB stick, 11% an electrical item, and 10% a writing instrument.

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Which Promotional Gifts Are Kept the Longest?

Longevity is a factor that promotional products have over other types of advertising. Especially when you consider that many recipients keep the product for years. 1/3 of survey respondents indicated they had kept an item for one to two years while 30% stated they kept promotional merchandise between three and four years. These three types of promotional products are listed among those kept the longest:

  • Promotional Mugs: 18%
  • Branded USB Stick 15%
  • Promotional Pen 12%

Promotional Merchandise Can Deliver a Higher or Equal ROI than Most Forms of Advertising

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In addition to the benefits of a promotional product campaign, the study also revealed that promotional products deliver a better return on investment than many other forms of advertising. With the average cost of promotional products at £0.003, the cost of running a campaign is less per impress than radio, print, or television advertising. You can also run a test campaign for a very small initial investment, a flexibility that is not possible with most other advertising mediums.

Insight from Marketing Professionals

Marketing professionals were also included in the BPMA survey to add insight from a marketing usage perspective. The marketing managers explained how they use promotional products successfully as an important part of the marketing mix. Responses included

  • 69% of respondents said that it is because it ‘targets customers effectively’
  • 52% stated that it is because the ‘brand message lasts longer’
  • 46% said because of its ‘ability to create loyalty’
  • “It’s an excellent way of getting the clients attention. We can demonstrate the brand attributes we want to get across.”
  • , “For a cascade promotion, if we send items to X they pass them out to their customers who might also sign up. It builds relationships and goodwill.”

Promotional Products Increase Brand Sentiment

Over 50% of the survey respondents reported that they had a more favorable impression of a company after receiving a promotional product from them. In addition, they felt that they were more likely to do business with that company. These factors lead to better brand awareness, better profits, and increased sales. 

Conclusion for Your Business

After reading these results and realizing that there are thousands of different promotional products that you can use to cleverly and accurately represent your brand or your business, there is no reason not to try a small campaign. Incorporating promotional products into your marketing mix does not have to be a large investment, but can give your company long term brand recognition and a better return on your advertising investment.

 

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