WHAT ARE PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS?
Promotional products (also called advertising specialties and identity products) are usually, but not always, imprinted with a company's name, logo or message. They include useful or decorative articles of merchandise that are used in marketing, educational, and communication programs. Most anything that can be imprinted is imprinted.

There are four categories of promotional products:

• Imprinted products that are given away for free are called advertising specialties.
• Imprinted products that are sold at cost are sometimes called loss leaders. They can provide free advertising.
• Imprinted items that are given as an incentive for some action are known as premiums.
• Business gifts, awards, and commemoratives are also considered to be promotional products.

There are literally tens of thousands of different types and styles of promotional products. If you would like a list of product categories, contact PromoCentric. Examples of common items include: pens, calendars, T-shirts, caps, cups, mugs, napkins, calculators, key chains, desk and computer accessories, bags, totes, bumper stickers, yard signs, labels, decals, etc.

WHY PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS?
Promotional products marketing fits easily into any advertising budget. Promotional products complement and actually increase the effectiveness of other advertising media. They can be directed to selected audiences, which dramatically increases their effectiveness. And they remain in use for long periods of time to repeat the advertising message each time the product is used, without extra cost per exposure. People like to receive them. And since the items are useful and appealing, they are effective as incentives and motivators. Because there are so many products available, there is a lot of flexibility in planning a successful promotion.

HOW EFFECTIVE ARE PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS?
A study by Schreiber & Associates (Peoria, IL) showed that 39 percent of the people receiving a promotional product could recall the name of the advertiser as long as six months after they received it.

Southern Methodist University conducted a study to measure attendee awareness of product demonstrations in three university communities. They found that selective distribution of promotional products drew more booth traffic than school newspaper advertising by two-to-one. They also found that customers receiving promotional products reordered up to 18 percent sooner than those who received coupons and up to 13 percent sooner than those who received no promotion.

Promotional products, used in direct mail solicitations, can boost response rates by up to 75 percent, according to a study by Baylor University. Their study of month-long sales contests in retail establishments indicates that contests reinforced by periodic distribution of promotional products were cost-effective and outperformed non-stimulated contests by up to 50 percent.

HOW DOES THE PROMOTIONAL PRODUCT INDUSTRY WORK?
Supplier factories import, manufacture, convert, imprint or otherwise produce or process products offered for sale only through promotional products distributors. There are more than 5,000 supplier companies in the promotional products industry. Most distributors act as independent agents and sell products, and sometimes promotional programs, to their clients. Some distributors represent factories or franchise distributorships. There are over 20,000 distributor firms in the industry.

PromoCentric is a member of the Advertising Specialties Institute (ASI), and an independent promotional products distributor, with a variety of special arrangements with many factories and other promotional products companies that have been structured to provide great prices and great service.

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