Customers remember promotional products better than any other advertisement

Promotional products may not have as wide a reach as television or internet ads, but unlike those media, they have the potential to become parts of recipients' everyday lives. A new study shows that as a result, they may be an even more effective form of advertising than other media.

Promotional Products Association International recently published the results of research it conducted with the aid of independent research company MarketTools, based on a survey of more than 1,000 consumers who had received a promotional product in the past two years. The results show that consumers were much more likely to remember companies, brands, products or services from promotional products than from television, print and online advertising.

Of respondents, 94 percent could recall a promotional product they were given in the past two years and 89 percent could recall the advertiser. Though television commercials and other ads are often considered a nuisance, 83 percent of promotional product recipients said they liked getting them, and nearly half of respondents wanted to get them more often. Nearly 70 percent keep the products, and 60 percent reported using the promotional product several times.

Consumers made a purchase after getting a promotional product 21 percent of the time, more often than after viewing a print ad at 13 percent, a TV commercial at 7 percent, or an online ad at 5 percent.

The Advertising Specialty Institute estimates the average cost-per-impression of a promotional product at $0.004, suggesting a significant return on investment.