Is Promotional Product Marketing Outdated?

Today’s promotional products can be traced back to 1789 with a commemorative button celebrating George Washington’s presidency. As early as the 1800s, advertisers used calendars for marketing. Any form of marketing used more than two hundred years must be outdated, right? So, is promotional product marketing outdated? Nope, and here’s why.

Out with the Old in with the New

Unlike most forms of advertising, promotional products change with the times. Sometimes promotional products are even ahead of the times. For example, radio, TV, and print advertising may change their message, but the delivery of the message stays the same.

Promotional product offerings change with the marketplace. Products that were unheard of only a few years ago are now popular specialty items. For example, smartphone, laptop, and tablet accessories are available as promotional products.

Live Long and Prosper

Traditional media is fleeting. A sixty-second ad on evening drive time is still only 60 seconds. A full-page ad in Sunday’s newspaper may catch your eye but will you remember it next year, next month or even next week?

Many promotional products have a long lifespan such as bags, desk accessories, and apparel. Consider T-shirts, they’ve continued to grow in popularity since Marlin Brando donned a tidy whitey in The Wild One, and that was 60 years ago.

The Sky is the Limit

Not even the sky limits promotional products because anything can become a promotional product. All you need do is add your logo, tagline, CTA, or contact information and voila! You have an advertising piece. Nearly any product can be a promotional product. If you want something modern and up to date, it’s probably out there, and if not, you can be the first!