You’ve thought about using promotional products as giveaways at events, trade shows, and new product introductions, but you have reservations. You’re skeptical about specialty products impact, and you’re fearful what your customers might think. Should you advertise with promotional products or not? Will your prospects think you’re too pushy? Will clients think promotional products are cheap and demeaning? And will the impact of using promotional products to brand and advertise have a negative impact? Not according to research conducted by ASI (Advertising Specialty Institute)

In the ASI report, not only do consumers have a favorable impression of companies who promote with specialty products but 53% have a more favorable impression. Here’s how it breaks down by product:

Listed by Favorable Impression of the Advertiser: U.S.

  • Outerwear 75%
  • Shirts 61%
  • Caps 59%
  • Health and safety products  54%
  • Bags 53%
  • Average of all 53%
  • Flash drives 52%
  • Office 50%
  • Calendars 49%
  • Drinkware 48%
  • Writing instruments 43%

Maybe it’s time to jump in and get with the SWAG. Test the waters, consider what your client base would use and appreciate, then give it to them at your next event. You may be surprised how much they enjoy promotional products and remember where they got them. If you’d like assistance deciding what specialty items would fit you customer demographics let us know, we’ll help you make a good impression.

However, before you jump into the promotional product game, you should consider what kind of promotional products will people appreciate, keep, and use.

Why Do People Keep Promotional Products?

That’s a great question, and one that should be considered before choosing promotional products. Although there are several points to consider, such as, who are your customers, what is your price point, and what do you hope to gain, consumers are more interested in how useful and attractive a product is. With that in mind, the number one reason consumers keep specialty products is … usefulness. Overall, according to ASI (Advertising Specialty Institute), nearly 80% of specialty product owners kept products because they were useful.

Should You Advertise with Promotional Products? 

When choosing promotional products as advertising tools you should think about your purpose, how your logo will appear on the product, and how it represents your brand, but you should also consider the consumer. Will they find it useful, attractive, and enjoyable? One way to know for certain, is to ask them. Survey your customers to learn what they’d appreciate. If you’d like to learn more, Contact Us — we can be very useful.

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