It Just Works – Promotional Products Work Week

You may think "Swag" or "Stuff" or "Tchotchke" instead of "Promotional Products," but all those terms reflect the same advertising industry which we are so proudly a member.

We often think of ourselves as the "silent" advertising profession. Everyone hears about radio, tv, print and newspaper advertising, but it's not often that "Promotional Product Advertising" gets mentioned as part of the advertising industry. Even in marketing and advertising classrooms, it remains an almost forgotten branch of the advertising world.

However, our industry is a $20+ billion one with more than 33,000 businesses – 97 percent of which are small businesses – and includes almost 500,000 professionals. In dollars spent, it's a very vibrant and growing industry, outpacing radio and magazine advertising.

The week of May 18, 2015, has been designated "Promotional Products Work Week" by our industry non-profit organization, Promotional Product Association International (PPAI).

As members of PPAI, we all work to create awareness for the value promotional products deliver to advertisers and marketers; as well as the positive impact promotional products businesses have on the U.S. economy, job creation and community enrichment.

Consumers love promotional products! PPAI research clearly demonstrates the power of the advertising medium as the most cost-effective way to reach a targeted audience in a tangible, long-lasting and memorable manner.


The info graphic below outlines some relevant statistics about the power of promotional products as an advertising medium. With 88% of recipients able to recall the advertiser, the influence of promotional products is convincing. 

The Creative J is happy to be part of such a great industry as well as a member of PPAI. We are lucky to be in an industry that has such a strong trade organization and advocate for our business success. We also thank all our customers who have been such an important part of our success.

Burlap and Neoprene...Together...at last?

Now here's something I really haven't seen in our industry.... burlap... and neoprene...together!

Brand new from one of our favorite suppliers, a line of burlap and neoprene items. Coolies, key tags, wine holders, lunch bags and more. And to top it off, you can mix and match neoprene and stitch colors to truly create a custom look.

"Consider using products as packaging."

It really does make a unique look. Create a custom gift set. Wouldn't these make a great alternative to standard packaging? Ordering tshirts for your employees? Why not pack each one in on of these lunch bags or iPad sleeves instead? Sponsoring a luncheon or conference? Use the key holder as a napkin ring at each place setting. Put your business card in the card guard and use as a leave-behind that will leave an impression.

And, if you've got your own idea of a product you'd like to have using these materials, they can do it. Everything is cut and sewn on demand, so just about any custom shape or item you might need can be created.

Parades and Promos Go Together

Don't you just love small town parades? I was at the Elkhorn Days parade this weekend, watching my kids participate with their karate school, and just had a great time.

The parade was delayed for an hour due to the rain, and I think that caused several of the entries to not show up, but it turned out to be a beautiful day and everyone had a great time.

As I sat on the curb, watching each entry go by, it occurred to me that these parades are really an advertisement for the businesses & organizations in the community. As each car, truck, flatbed, or wagon passed by the judge's table, the emcee would announce the business name and give a short little plug of their services or product. Since the majority of the entries were businesses, it really was a FUN rolling/walking advertising opportunity for all of them. What better way to reach their local customers and to show off their personalities along with their services?

Of course, it goes without saying that they were all handing and throwing out a variety of promotional items (and candy). Plus, most of them were wearing tshirts made just for the event. I saw frisbees, stress balls, pencils, koozies, plastic bags, yo-yo's, fliers, postcards, stickers (can't forget the politicians!), wristbands, and lots and lots of Tootsie Rolls!

The kids went crazy over it all, and of course, us adults had to check it all over carefully ourselves to make sure the candy was ok! But in the course of doing so, those items that were imprinted with the business's logo, stood out and made us take a second look. Maybe I hadn't heard of that business before, but now, seeing their logo on one of those items has imprinted it in my memory and I will know who they are when I hear or see their name next. Or, if I'm in need of one of those services, I'll probably remember their name and give them a call.

Now, if there was a way to imprint a funnel cake.............

Who Wants to Receive Promotional Products?

Do consumers enjoy receiving promotional products, or do they see them as a hassle, or item to discard? What makes them want to pick up a product emblazoned with your logo?

If you read a study done by the Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), you'll find out that American consumers really do love promotional products.

Some quick statistics: 83% of American consumers liked receiving promotional items; 48% would like to receive them more often; and 38% felt they served as a constant reminder of the advertiser.

However, the statistics for how or why a person would pick up a promotional product at a tradeshow or event are even more telling: only 23% would pick it up regardless of what it was, but a whopping 69% would pick it up if they found it to be useful.

So, when planning your budget for promotional product marketing, it's an important thing to keep in mind. If your audience finds it useful, they are more likely to pick it up and then continue to hold on to it.

And the statistic that tells it all, over 76% surveyed could recall over the past two years the specific product they received, the advertiser and the message the item conveyed. That's all value added to your bottom line when using promotional products to gain and maintain customers and brand recognition.

The Power of Promotional Products

PPAI, the non-profit trade organization for the promotional products industry, has just released their latest research on the power of promotional products. For a quick view of the results, check out this link to a short presentation: Reach And Recall

The findings reinforce past studies -- consumers like receiving promotional items, they tend to remember the company that gave them out, and they tend to hold on to the item, creating multiple impressions of the product or brand.

The study also shows that promotional products advertising has a 15-50% higher recall rate than tv, print and online advertising -- a great bang for the buck.

Some quick facts:
• 83% of consumers surveyed like receiving promotional items
• 48% would like to receive them more often
• 69% generally will keep the item if it is useful
• 36% generally will give it to someone else if they don't have a use for it, expanding it's exposure
• 35% generally keep the product if they like the advertiser
• Decreases in advertising dollars are the least for promotional products as compared to other mediums
• A significantly more positive impact on brand image is projected by promotional products than other mediums

The PPAI website has a host of research and facts about the impact of promotional products. It's a great source when you are considering your advertising budgets and the impact you wish to create.

Why Do Flash Drive Prices Change So Often?

Flash or USB drive prices for the most part change on a weekly basis. Why is that?

1. Flash memory is only made by a very few manufacturers such Samsung and Hynix, so they control the prices.

2. Memory chips are in everything: tv's, i-Pods, cars, stereos, refrigerators, you name it! So the demand is huge and the supply is limited.

3. 80% of the cost of the drive is determined by the cost of the memory chip, so when the price on the chips increase, so does the drive cost.

4. Large buyers like Apple often buy millions of chips at one time, causing an increased demand and lack of supply. So, prices go up.

But consider this, 16 months ago, a 4GB drive cost around $100. Today, the cost is around $20!

And when you consider the fact that it was just a few years ago that a regular 1GB hard drive cost hundreds of dollars, we really have come a long way in a very short time.

(Do any of you remember the days in the not so distant past when our computers didn't even HAVE hard drives? I remember starting out as a graphic designer with my Pagemaker program on one 3.5" floppy disk and my files on the other. I would have to swap them back and forth when I wanted to save my files! And if you can remember that, you can probably figure out how old I am!!!)