When you compare a promotional product to other forms of advertising, the amount of impressions the promotional product delivers is actually rather impressive.
According to the Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI), promotional products have a cost per impression of $0.005, “which is lower than prime-time TV ($0.018), national magazines ($0.045), spot radio ($0.058) and newspapers ($0.029). “
Unlike other advertising, promo products are seen by their intended receiver but also by everyone around them.
Here’s a list of the most popular products of 2010, taken from a recent Successful Meetings article.
According to the survey, the top 10 promotional products of 2010 were:
1. Writing instruments (owned by 46 percent of U.S. respondents)
2. Shirts (owned by 38 percent of U.S. respondents)
3. Calendars (owned by 24 percent of U.S. respondents)
4. Bags (owned by 23 percent of U.S. respondents)
5. Caps/headwear (owned by 16 percent of U.S. respondents)
6. Desk/office/business accessories (owned by 16 percent of U.S. respondents)
7. Food items (owned by 12 percent of U.S. respondents)
8. Glassware/ceramics, including mugs (owned by 11 percent of U.S. respondents)
9. Health and safety products (owned by 9 percent of U.S. respondents)
10. Jackets/hoodies/sweatshirts/fleece (owned by 4 percent of U.S. respondents)
So which products have the best ROI?
Try a bag. They have the highest amount of impressions per month (must be all those trips to the grocery store). Still, writing instruments are used the most often out of any freebie, coming in at an average usage of 18.2 times per month.
Keep in mind that the average lifespan of these products is only 5.4 months, so if you have a crowd pleaser on your hands, it’s OK to revisit it again after a year or two.
So what do you think? What products have worked for you in the past? Or which do you love to receive?