If you’ve been here before, well, you may not recognize much, as we’re redeveloping this site as a blog. But we hope you’ll still find us your one-stop resource for information about the promotional products industry.

The promotional products industry can overwhelm anyone with its sheer mass of products, suppliers, distributors and information. This is why we’ve created the Promotional Products Knowledge Base. We’ll update this site regularly with new content designed to help you get acquainted with the wide world of promotional products. Our intention remains to give you the information you need to make intelligent decisions – to help you get the most use out of your money AND your promotional products.

The value of promotional products

With the economy in its current unsettled state, it’s easy to overlook the power of promotional products because purchasing budgets have gotten smaller. But promotional products can pack a lot of advertising punch into a small budget. According to the Advertising Specialties Institute Impressions Study, released in 2008, the average cost-per-impression of a promotional product is just $0.004 – much less than just about any other advertising means. People tend to hang on to promotional products, too. The survey shows that more than 75 percent of respondents kept the item for more than six months. Just think about tote bags, for instance: They’re useful, reusable, and will keep your logo visible for as long as the bag lasts.

And promotional products can be fun! Sure, there will always be pens and notepads and coffee mugs, but with thousands of items that can be customized with your logo, any campaign can be made a lot more memorable with the right kind of product. As a bonus, people who get free promotional products from you will remember your business in a more positive light, simply because you gave them something. The ASI study showed that 42 percent of respondents had a more favorable impression after receiving an item, and 24 percent of respondents said they were more likely to do business with the advertiser who gave them the product.

A little history

Promotional products have been around for nearly 200 years, in one form or another. The Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), a trade association for promotional item distributors, says that the promotional market dates back to when George Washington created buttons for his campaign! Although the promotions market has changed and expanded a great deal since then, the original concept behind the message remains the same: Make your message visible.

Promotional items are increasingly becoming a regular part of companies’ budgets. People are realizing that potential business growth can be directly related to the use of promotional products and creative advertising. Sometimes this means having to spend a little bit more on promotional products while creatively thinking outside the box for new ways to express your message. The promotional products industry is currently one of the fasting growing industries in the nation with total sales exceeding $18 billion in 2008.

Tags: branding, economical, marketing

Tags: branding, economical, marketing
Posted in Uncategorized