In the world of advertising, effectiveness has to be one of the most important metrics. You can talk about exposure all day long, but if the receiver of the advertising doesn’t take some kind of action that benefits the advertiser, it doesn’t much matter. Advertising is meant to influence behavior. Promotional products, sometimes called physical advertising, have been around for a long time, probably even before the campaign buttons for George Washington. They influenced behavior then, and they do it today.

Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) has sponsored a number of independent studies. One of these studies stopped travelers at LaGuardia Airport and asked about branded products they might have in their purses and pockets. Most told stories about how they received the items, and why they still carried them. The study concluded that eight in 10 consumers own between one and 10 promotional products, six in 10 keep them for up to two years, and about half (53%) use a promo item at least once a week or more often. Recall of the advertiser name eclipsed that from radio and print advertising. As for TV? Who doesn’t have a fast forward button?

A more recent study focused on advertising companies and ad agencies who must choose from an array of advertising mediums. It drew some interesting conclusions:

• About 9 in 10 buyers are familiar with the term “promotional products”.
• About half of advertisers and agencies measure the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns, mainly through comparison of the number of inquiries and leads before and after a promotion.
• Sixty-five percent of advertisers consider this medium always or mostly effective.
• Usefulness, ability to relate to industry-specific themes, and uniqueness were most often cited as the most suitable features of promotional products
• The ability to promote loyalty (83%), to reach targets efficiently (80%), and to be audience friendly (78%) were cited as the most important features of promotional products.
• Advertisers use promotional products in blended campaigns in conjunction with social media (72%), email marketing (60%), internet advertising (58%), and sales promotions (54%).

As you plan your marketing campaigns, be sure to include promotional products. And by that we mean: CALL APTCO!