Promotional advertising‘s goal is to raise a company’s visibility. Creating and developing an effective marketing strategy will increase brand awareness and generate business. Owners have a great deal of advertising options, and many have found that promotional giveaways are effective tools for heightening long-term exposure.
Handing out branded gifts puts an advertisement directly in consumers’ hands. These marketing campaigns have some advantages that other platforms can’t offer.
Gifts last awhile
The American Marketing Association (AMA) points out that while other advertisements have a limited shelf-life, promotional products don’t disappear quickly. A print advertisement can run a couple times, commercials air for a few seconds, direct mail can only be sent once and so on.
Many functional giveaways stay with consumers for long periods of time. In a recent survey, L.J. Market Research reported that 71 percent of respondents had received a promotional item in the last 12 months and 33 percent still owned these complementary products.
When a company hands out functional gifts like logo ink pens, consumers use the products like everything else – they keep these items as long as they work and serve a purpose. This creates a long-lasting marketing campaign, so owners are assured they haven’t misspent their advertising funds.
Repetition
Each time consumers use promotional gifts, they are being exposed to branded content. For example, if a company gave away promotional wall calendars, their customers will look at a logo everyday. Not even the catchiest advertising jingle can create that much brand awareness.
Consumers are more likely to remember a business’ name if they see it repeatedly. Potential customers need to see images over and over because these people are learning to recognize specific visuals. Giveaways make a brand easily accessible to prospective clients and reinforce the awareness that develops through their use.
Sharing is caring
A small, functional giveaway fills a need while being expendable. Students think nothing of letting their peers borrow pens and people loan tote bags to friends who have a great deal to carry. If a company puts a logo on these everyday items, its brand is likely to reach many consumers.
Picking out shareable products allows business owners to reach a much wider customer base. The AMA notes that this a cost-effective alternative to a generalized but widespread marketing campaign.