42 Stats You Need To Know About Promo Products

We've compiled 42 stats you need to know about promotional products.  Whether using by themselves or in a marketing campaign, promotional products are one of the most effective and most well liked advertising methods.  Promotional products, or swag, is a functional sensory medium.  Your brand experience can allow consumers to see, smell, taste, hear and touch.  It’s the single most long-lasting form of advertising.  We’ve gathered stats and information from the Promotional Products Association International’s last research study to share here with you.  When making your next purchasing decision, consider these stats.

• 88% of consumers who received a promotional product could recall the name of the advertiser.
• 85% of consumers have done business with an advertiser as a result of receiving an item.
• 81% keep promotional products because they’re useful.
• 53% say they use promotional products they’ve received at least once a week.
• Promotional products rank 6th in advertising expenditures.
• Promotional products are the only advertising consumers say thank you for.

Promotional products are the only sensory medium that gives the consumer a tangible memory of a relationship to a brand.  Uniquely, promotional products agencies like Branded are able to solve all kinds of marketing challenges through the use of promotional products.  Whether it’s an event-based challenge, amplifying employee engagement efforts, increasing brand awareness with customers - promotional products combined with great design and creativity have almost limitless potential for any challenge.  In 2018, advertisers spent nearly $25 billion on promotional products.  There’s a reason for that.

• In a PPAI study, offering a promotional product as incentive drew as many as 500 percent more referrals than an appeal letter alone.
• Recipients of promotional products have a significantly more positive image of the company than those who do not receive promotional products.
• Cost per impression of a promotional product is .6 cents.
• The gift that keeps on giving! When no longer using an item, 66% of people pass the item to someone else.
• In a direct marketing study, the use of a promotional product as an incentive to respond reduced the cost per response by two-thirds.
• Promotional product recipients spent 27% more than coupon recipients over an 8-month period.
• Sales people who gave promotional gifts to their customers received 22% more referrals than sales people who did not use promo items.

The top 10 promotional products are:

1. Wearables, with shirts ranking #1 in apparel
2. Drinkware
3. Bags/Travel
4. Writing Instruments
5. Technology
6. Automotive
7. Awards
8. Clocks/Timepieces
9. Desk Accessories
10. Health/Wellness & Toy/Games

With an ever-increasing look to the promotional products industry as a PPE supplier, we suspect the next study will include top buys like hand sanitizer, masks and other safety products.

But who needs to buy promotional items? The top 10 purchasers of promotional products by industry are:

1. Business Services
2. Healthcare
3. Educational
4. Financial
5. Manufacturing
6. Not-for-Profit Organizations
7. Government
8. Trade, Professional Organizations and Civic Clubs
9. Real Estate
10. Automotive

The PPAI study showed 79% of buyers used promotional products in standalone campaigns.  What does that tell us? As effective as buyers are finding the promo items, imagine if that 79% of marketers had used the promotional items WITH their marketing campaigns! 88% of buyers recommend the use of promotional products.  Why is that?

• 83% of consumers are more likely to do business with an advertiser after receiving a promotional product.
• 88% looked up a company after receiving a promotional product.
• 9 in 10 consumers recall the branding on the swag they receive.
• 8 in 10 consumers recall the messaging.
• 7 in 10 consumers recall the call to action.
• 83% of people like promotional products.

That last one is important.  What other advertising medium compares to promotional products when it comes to enthusiasm for the medium? Promotional products work because they draw a connection between your brand and the consumer quite unlike any other marketing channel.

We help build brands with the power of promotional products every day.  Reach out to us at [email protected] to get started building your brand and harnessing the power of this superstar advertising channel.