Loyalty and Marketing News: The promotional products people want

Did you know that if a promotional item is useful, research shows that 89% of people will keep it? With Promotional Products Week justa round the corner, helping to nationally raise the profile of promotional products and encourage their use within the marketing mix, we wanted to take a look at some interesting stats on the best promotional products, and how marketers are using them.

According to the bpma, the top ten products the British public like to take home as freebies are:

1. The promotional pen

2. Branded bags

3. Electronic items (such as branded memory sticks and power banks)

4. Branded or personalised mugs

5. Promotional clothing such as tee-shirts

6. Note pads

7. Mints / sweets

8. Stress balls

9. Mouse mats

10. Stationery

And from a marketing perspective:

• It’s not just the traditional promotion product types being purchased – over two thirds are purchasing electronic goods
• Over 70% of marketers are using promotional products as a brand awareness tool
• Over 10% of marketers are spending in excess of £50,000 per annum on promotional products
• Creativity is a key challenge faced by marketers when buying promotional goods

Another key takeway from both sides of the coin is that when it comes to the best promotional product – the best gifts are considered useful in everyday life… or edible! However, promotional products are in a peak – and unusual branded items are being given away, these include ice cream, plants, shoe polish and screen cloths.

With an aim to ensure that companies recognise the value of promotional products and understand the many different ways they can improve brand awareness. Promotional Products Week (PPW) will take place from the 11th-15th September 2017.

The theme for this year is Thank You! – with businesses being encouraged to use branded gifts as a way of showing appreciation to customers, prospective suppliers, friends, family or anyone else who deserves a thank you.

A campaign is being run where you can take a photo of yourself or your intended recipient with your gift and share it on twitter using the hashtag #ThankYouPPW or on the BPMA Facebook page – TheBPMA. The best use of thank you will be published in Product Media magazine.

The bpma has invested in buyers and consumers attitudes to promotional gifts. PPW will showcase promotional merchandise at its best highlighting its essential role in the marketing mix and explaining why its continually used by marketers keen to make an impact. The total amount spent by companies on promotional merchandise in the UK last year was approaching £1bn and firms are happy to spend an average of up to £5 an item to get their marketing message across to consumers.