We have provided promotional products and gifts in Perth for a long time. We have always known that promotional products work. Luckily, since the first study in 1992, Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) has conducted periodic ad recall studies over the years.

The first three studies were conducted in 1992, 1999, and 2004. We have referred to them here often, as we have two university studies that were also done on promotional products. The problem, though, is that there hadn’t been any new information for awhile.

Even though everyone in the industry still knows that promotional giveaway products are great for brand recognition and for attaching positive emotions to your company’s name, those outside the industry had doubts. They would ask questions such as, “Do promotional products still work in the Internet age?”

Because the Internet changed the way everyone does business, the question is a valid one. We knew the answer was yes, but there wasn’t a contemporary study proving that we were right.

From our standpoint, though, we have seen the same reactions to promotional products that we always saw. People are almost always grateful, often to a point of feeling that they owe something back to their benefactor, and they always seem to remember who gave them the promotional gift they were using. And, if they don’t remember, there is a logo or company name right there to remind them.

And now, thankfully, PPAI has delivered again, with another study performed at an international airport last November. The study was performed in LaGuardia Airport in New York, which is an international hub.

We mention this because, sometimes, it is natural to think that a study performed in the US isn’t relevant in Australia. If anything, the results would be more impressive in Australia, due to a decreased attention span in the US caused by an extremely fast tempo while conducting business.

The study was performed on adult travellers. Only travellers who had at least one promotional product in their possession that had been given to them in the prior 12 months were asked to participate. Those who qualified and agreed to be surveyed were asked 22 questions, whose answers were entered using tablet computers. For more details about the sample size and methodology, here is a link to the full report.

The findings were virtually the same as every study for the last 21 years. The numbers and conclusions we are about to quote here have some slight differences, but they have all remained consistent through 21 years and at least six popular studies. In other words, the conclusions made in 1991 are as relevant now as they were then, despite the Internet age’s massive changes in how we conduct business.

Promotional Product Recall

70% of those questioned remembered being given a promotional product or gift at least once in the previous year. Out of those who did receive products, and were eligible for the rest of the survey, 70% said that they had received at least two items.

88% remembered the name and message of the advertiser who gave them a promotional item within 12 months, but only 71% remembered companies who advertised in magazines they had read within one week.

Of the company names remembered by participants, financial services, apparel brands, retailers, and electronics manufacturers were remembered the most. The products they remembered receiving the most were: apparel at 41%, writing instruments at 35%, and drinkware at 19%.

Promotional Product Usage

80% said they currently own from one to as many as ten promotional products. Usefulness was cited as the main reason for holding on to promotional and corporate gifts, with health and safety products, computer products, and writing instruments deemed the most important.

Consumers had a tendency to keep travel accessories, leisure products, and sporting goods mainly for attractiveness.

The best products containing contact information were the catch-all category of magnets, stickers, ribbons, buttons, and badges at 33%, electronic accessories and devices at 29%, and computer products at 23%. However, only 35% of those surveyed actually used these items to contact the vendors.

The products used the most, thus providing the most advertising impressions, are computer products, calendars or planners, and electronic accessories or devices. The usage numbers were 85%, 85%, and 82% respectively.

Only 20% of people who receive a promotional product that they don’t use throw them away. 42% file them and forget about them, while the other 38% give them to someone else. 54% of those who use promotional products keep them at home, while 24% keep them on their person.

Conclusion:

Promotional products work. Call 08 92444 111 to see for yourself.