Advertising comes in many forms — radio, television, newspapers, magazines, brochures, and increasingly, online tools such as websites, blogs, and emails. But study after study shows that one of the most effective modes of advertising is promotional products, physical advertising that sticks around. We looked at some of the reasons last month, and we’ll dig a little deeper this month. In a recent study by trade association PPAI, five key metrics were used to assess the value and weight of options used by survey respondents to respond to each promotional product component: Reach, Recall, Resonance, Reaction and Relativity.
Reach. Promotional products are arguably the most targeted advertising medium. They are given to specific people, often in response to a particular desired action. They are seen day in and day out. One third of the millenials questioned in the study stated that they were in contact with promotional products during all their waking hours. The majority of consumers keep a promotional product between one and five years. Eight in 10 consumers choose to pass along a promotional product if they don’t keep it for themselves, which ultimately furthers the brand’s reach.
Recall. When prompted with an unaided question, 83 percent said they recalled at least one brand and 23 percent recalled at least one message from a promotional product they received; however, if aided (or given options), nine in 10 on average correctly recalled branding, and eight in 10 recalled messaging characteristics, which indicates that consumers are not always aware they are being advertised to when given promotional products. This is very important. Think of how quickly we fast forward through commercials on the DVR, or skip over the YouTube ad as soon as possible. Promotional products have a much more positive association.
Resonance. Master marketer Seth Godin recently remarked, “It is impossible to market at people any more. The only choice is to market with them.” Advertising that creates resonance helps consumers to identify with the brand on a personal level and provides the foundation for an enduring brand relationship. Promotional products are proven vehicles for brands to generate a more favorable impression across all consumer audiences. Emotions are at the heart of the relationship between brands and consumers as they steer conscious decisions and drive unconscious decisions. In fact, according to a 2015 Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience Internal Study, advertising that produced the best emotional response generated a 23-percent lift in sales volume. These study findings magnify promotional products’ capacity to elicit a strong emotional connection.
Promotional products prominently display advertising, but they are found to be useful to a majority of consumers including a stunning 92 percent of the Silent Generation. Among Millennials, 48 percent said they kept promotional products because the design fit their style and/or personality, and both Generation X (42 percent) and Baby Boomers (48 percent) said the product was enjoyable to have.
Reaction. “We don’t want people to buy a brand, we want people to buy into a brand, to make it part of their lives,” Stan Richards, founder of The Richards Group, once said. Advertising channels are the most important tool used by brands to reach a targeted audience, ensure that it resonates positively so that, most importantly, it generates the desired reaction. Promotional products are the optimal source to elicit a strong connection with recipients, spark interest, inspire action and effectively gain and retain consumers, ultimately enhancing brand loyalty. Roughly eight in 10 consumers said they have looked up a brand after receiving a promotional product. Promotional products drove the most interest among Millennial recipients, 87 percent of whom were curious enough to take further action. 88 percent of Millennials said they are more likely to do business with brands from which they received promotional products over other brands.
Relativity. Brands are presented with an endless stream of opportunities to deliver their message, so how each option compares becomes essential when marketers are weighing where to invest advertising dollars. Compared with more traditional advertising vehicles, consumers confirm promotional products as the leading choice for brands. When asked what advertising qualities (not limited to promotional products) were important to them, the majority of survey respondents preferred visually appealing ads that clearly deliver a message. Promotional products are built to do just that with their physical and tangible features.
When asked to rate which advertising vehicles provide consumers with an incentive to take action, promotional products were regarded as most effective by all generations.
Promotional Products WORK!
I feel that the greatest reward for doing is the opportunity to do more.
~ Jonas Salk
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