Marketers: Get in touch with your audience

Promotional products are more popular than ever, based on data from a 2016 consumer survey conducted by Promotional Products Associa...

Promotional products are more popular than ever, based on data from a 2016 consumer survey conducted by Promotional Products Association International(PPAI). The survey respondents were evenly split between men and women, and included millennials (43 percent), generation X (35 percent), baby boomers (19 percent), and the “silent generation” of older adults (3 percent).

Overall, 89 percent of the adult consumers surveyed reported receiving a promotional product within the last six months, an increase from previous years.

Key survey findings include:

1. 85 percent of individuals said they remembered the branding and 76 percent recalled messaging from at least one promotional product.
2. 82 percent of individuals said their impression of the brand changed for the better as a direct result of receiving a promotional product from that brand.
3. 79 percent of individuals said they looked up a brand and 83 percent said they would be more likely to do business with a brand after receiving a promotional product.
4. All age groups rated promotional products as the most effective way to encourage consumers to take action with regard to the brand.

PPAI used five metrics to evaluate the participants’ responses to promotional products: Reach, Recall, Resonance, Reaction and Relativity.

Reach: Refers to the length, frequency, and range of exposure of a consumer to a brand. For example, 79 percent of consumers will pass along a promotional product, whether or not they use it themselves, which extends the brand’s reach. In addition, the survey found that 23 percent of men and 13 percent of women would keep a promotional product for up to 11 years or longer.

Recall: Refers to whether a consumer remembers a product. According to the survey, 85 percent of consumers could recall the branding of at least one promotional product, with some prompting; 76 percent remembered the message; and 71 percent remembered a call to action associated with the product.

Resonance: The survey results suggest that consumers feel engaged with promotional products on a personal level: 71 percent described their emotional connection to promotional products as “happy.”

Reaction: A positive response to advertising is more likely to generate the desired reaction, and 79 percent (87 percent of millennials) reported being curious enough to take further action after receiving a promotional product.

Relativity: Consumers across all age groups said they preferred visually appealing advertising with a clear message, and that promotional products were the most effective medium.