New statistics show a conclusive link between promotional merchandise, branding and sales!
Key findings:
• Promotional merchandise can deliver a higher or equal ROI than most forms of advertising
• 66% of respondents said they could remember the brand on the promotional product they received during the last year
• 79% said they were likely to do business with the company in the future
• 8 out of 10 (84 per cent) respondents said that a branded promotional gift increases brand awareness
• Over three quarters (87 per cent) of recipients said they kept a promotional gift for longer than 12 months
• Over half (56 per cent) of respondents said their opinion of the brand/company was more favourable after receiving the promotional product
The first ever in-depth independent national survey into the power of promotional merchandise in the UK questioned businessmen and women about their behavioural trends and preferences for different promotional gifts.
One of the most significant findings of the survey is that promotional merchandise can deliver a higher ROI than radio and outdoor advertising and a ROI that is equal to TV and print advertising. The cost per impression for a mug is £0.001, a mid-range pen £0.001, a calendar £0.004, a USB stick £0.005 and an umbrella £0.003. With an average cost per impression of £0.003, these figures compare extremely favourably with the cost per impression of other media with TV coming in at £0.008, radio at £0.003 and advertising hoardings at £0.003.
The survey also examined how much the respondents opinion changed after receiving a promotional item, giving a measure of how such products can affect feelings, perceptions and buying activity. Over half (56 per cent) of respondents said they felt more favourable towards the brand/company. When asked how much more or less likely they were to do business with the company in the future after receiving the promotional item over three-quarters (79 per cent) said they were more likely. While over four-fifths (84 per cent) of respondents stated that a branded promotional gift increases awareness of the brand, 63 per cent of respondents said they preferred to receive a promotional gift with logo branding on and 37 per cent indicated that they prefer to receive an unbranded gift. Nearly half (45 per cent) of people surveyed would most like to receive a USB stick, while 39 per cent would like a pen, 39 per cent an electrical item and 36 per cent a mug. The reasons for these choices are clear, as when asked what types of promotional gift they found most useful 21% stated a USB stick, 11 per cent an electrical item and 10% a writing instrument.
18 per cent of respondents stated that they had kept a mug for the longest period of time, 15 per cent a USB stick and 12 per cent a pen, with around one-third (33 per cent) indicating they had kept an item for between one and two years and 30 per cent between three and four years, highlighting that around 87 per cent of recipients had kept a promotional item for longer than 12 months.
The impact of promotional merchandise on the recipient is shown by the items that respondents remember receiving in the last 12 months, with 44 per cent recalling receiving a pen, 34 per cent a mug and 31 per cent a calendar, with USB sticks and stationery coming in at 22 per cent and 18 per cent respectively.