| Research
Shows...
• Recipients of promotional
products remember the advertiser's name. A study by Schreiber & Associates
(Peoria, IL) showed that 39 percent of the people receving
a promotional product could recall the name of the advertiser
as long as six months after they received it.
• Promotional products are
ideal for creating awareness among a selective audience. Southern
Methodist
University conducted a study to measure attendee awareness
of product demonstrations in three university communities.
They found that selective distribution of promotional products
outpulled school newspaper advertising by two-to-one.
• Promotional products can
boost response rates by up to 75 percent when they are used
as dimensionals
in direct mail solicitations, according to a study by Baylor
University.
• Customers reorder faster
and more often when promotional products are used instead of
coupons. In
a study by Southern Methodist University, customers receiving
promotional products reordered up to 18 percent sooner than
those who received coupons and up to 13 percent sooner than
those who received no promotion.
• Promotional products effectively
reinforce employee sales contests, too. A Baylor University
study of
month-long sales contests in retail establishments indicates
that contests reinforced by periodic distribution of promotional
products were cost-effective and outperformed non-stimulated
contests by up to 50 percent.
There are multiple types of promotional products.
- Imprinted products that are distributed
free are ad specialties.
- Imprinted items given as an incentive
for a specific action are premiums.
- Business gifts, awards, and commemoratives
are also considered promotional products.
Promotional products can be used in a countless/innumerable
ways. Here are just a few examples:
- Build traffic at tradeshows
- Educate your clients on a new product
launch
- Increase sales
- Foster goodwill
- Improve employee performance
The key to any project or program is finding the right
promotional product for your need. Your promotional
product expert will help you determine the product that can
provide you the most return on your investment. The right product:
- Appeals to your target audience taking
their demographics into account
- Reinforces your brand and/or message
- Impacts the recipient in a manner that
helps them remember your company
- Fits within your budget
| Case History #1
Bridgeport Hospital
Class:
Internal Promotion/Budget
Objective:
To improve employee morale and community image.
Strategy and Execution:
Morale was low and community image poor after two "bad" physician
episodes and an inactive media relations program.  The
theme "Bridgeport
Hospital: A View of the World" was selected to depict
the hospital as a leader in the region and beyond. A humorous,
four-color design was created and printed on posters placed
around the hospital and used on t-shirts and mugs. The
t-shirts were given away personally by the president and
chief operating officer of the hospital during a two-hour
period for each of the hospitals three shifts. All 2,500
employees were made aware in advance of the t-shirt distribution,
so all who were interested knew they would be available.
Shirts were also sent to the media. Mugs were presented
to key individuals at meetings both in and outside of the
hospital.
Results: Of the 2,500
employees, 2,300 picked up a shirt over the three shifts,
with several employees asking
to
purchase additional shirts. T-shirts are now sold at the
gift shop and the mugs are being used as gifts to key hospital
visitors and new employees.
Courtesy of PPAI
|
Case History
#2 GOLD WINNER
Class:
Dealer/Professional Promotion
Type:
Under $10 Per Recipient
Objective:
To increase booth traffic, contest participation, and cable
subscriptions at a trade show.
Strategy and Execution:
The campaign was based on the fact that the two most promoted
programs on the Learning Channel network are "Archeology" and "Unseen
Treasures." The night before the trade show opened,
attendees found a  surprise at their hotel room: an imprinted
archeological brush with a hang card and sweepstakes entry
form stating "Turn On TLC's Hidden Treasures on Channel
2." Inside copy promoted prizes such as a London trip
and cash donations to "your local library." Guests
needed to watch the hotel's Channel 2 for sweepstakes answers.
T he brush and forms brought to the booth at the time posted
on the "Archeological Dig Schedule" could lead
to "buried" treasures such as a fanny pack, golf
cap, t-shirt or tote bag.
Results:
The client said the promotion generated 100% participation
at each scheduled dig, media coverage in the trade dailies
and more than 1000 entries for the drawings, suggesting
a 17% response rate.
Courtesy of PPAI
|
Custom Order
The custom order used to be the most popular method of purchasing
promotional products. These are usually 1 time needs. For example,
you need items to hand out for your yearly tradeshow or you want
to give your employees a holiday gift. While you may repeat the
order for next year’s tradeshow, you don’t regularly
purchase this merchandise.
Inventory
Inventory programs are extremely popular in situations where
multiple buyers (in the same location or different location)
need access to the same merchandise and merchandise is purchased
regularly.
Company stores, incentive programs, etc. are common uses of
inventory programs. Your promotional product distributor (this
service varies by distributor) will inventory merchandise and
make it available through the Internet, catalog, or some other
communication. The merchandise is preprinted, in stock and ready
to ship.
Reduces lead time – products are preprinted and ready
to ship
Lowers minimums – items are already in stock, so the buyers
don’t need to purchase the factory minimum. This is especially
useful if you want to offer employees access to your merchandise.
Cost savings – All buyers can take advantage of quantity
breaks based on the total program volume, not just their volume.
Logo policing – Every product and every order is reviewed
to ensure your logo is reproduced according to your logo guidelines.
Use our distributor search tool to find a distributor that meets
your requirements.
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