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2019 Edition Global Ad Impressions Study by ASI

3/6/2019

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Conducted yearly by the Advertising Specialty Institute, findings in this study are based on thousands of in-person and online surveys taken by consumers in the US, Canada, Mexico and parts of Europe.  This survey answers questions about promotional products’ reach, consumers’ perceptions of them and how branded products influence buying decisions and products’ impact on consumer opinions of the advertiser.  

This study shows the power of promotional products among consumers on a global scale, and their affordable cost-per-impression (CPI) as compared to other forms of advertising.

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Product Ownership

U.S. consumers were asked which promotional products they currently owned. Promotional items are defined as items that have an advertiser’s logo and/or message on them. They are usually given away free by companies to consumers.

As the graphic below reveals promotional pens and drinkware are widely owned by consumers across the United States. Nearly 9 in 10 consumers report owning each. In fact, most categories of promotional products are owned by more than half of consumers!
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Environmentally Friendly Promotional Products

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Made in USA Promotional Products

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Staying Power

Respondents were asked how long they keep a typical type of promotional item. Across all promotional products, the average was about one year.  Outerwear, umbrellas and T-shirts stay around longest while Calendars, Writing Instruments and Headwear are kept the shortest amount of time. 
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Promo Products Make an Impression

​For this section, the average number of impressions each promotional product receives was calculated. The number of impressions a product makes was derived from multiplying how long a recipient has the product by how many people they come in contact when using it by the frequency of its usage. In the U.S., outerwear generates the most impressions (6,100) of any item measured in the study. This is because outerwear is often worn in public places where it can be seen by many people. Other items that deliver a large number of impressions are headwear, T-shirts, bags and writing instruments.
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I Got Something For You ...

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Why Keep It?

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How Many Promo Items People Own

In the study respondents were asked how many promotional products were in their household. The results indicate the average household in the United States owns 30 promotional items! The number varies somewhat by region of the country and age of the respondent, but the fact is that promo products are everywhere in households!
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Solar Eclipse on August 21st - Make Sure Your Eclipse Glasses Are Safe

7/28/2017

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There's a solar eclipse happening on August 21st, and sun-gazers in the US will be able to view this (awesome!).   There are a lot of companies that are producing 'solar eclipse glasses' to allow them to see this event without frying out their eyeballs ... the problem is that many of these items aren't actually safe as advertised. 

NASA's standards for eclipse-viewing safety:
1)  Have certification information with a designated ISO 12312-2 international standard
2)  Have the manufacturer's name and address printed somewhere on the product
3)  Not to be used if they are older than three years, or have scratched or wrinkled lenses
4)  Do not use homemade filters or be substituted with ordinary sunglasses - not even very dark ones - because they are not safe for looking directly at the sun

Just be mindful of what's being purchased and be sure the above standards are all met ... "frying out your eyeballs" doesn't sound like much fun.

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2016 ASI Impressions Study

7/27/2017

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Using online surveys, 2016's research was done with over 100,000 consumers across the US.  Consumers from every state were represented for the first time - expanding just beyond the major cities in suburban and rural America!  Below shows more pointed, specific results that show the value of promotional products across America.  Results from prior Ad Impressions studies were incorporated into these results to allow for a greater depth of analysis and statistics (thousands of in-person and online interviews have been conducted with business people and students in key cities around North America, Canada, Europe and Australia).

To see this study in full, see here for a direct link to the PDF.
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Product Popularity

US consumers were asked which promotional products they currently owned.  Promotional items were defined as items that include pens, t-shirts, drinkware, calendars or any items that have an advertiser's logo on them (usually given away for free by companies to consumers).

You'll see that t-shirts are the items that is most often owned by promotional product recipients in the US, followed by drinkware, writing instruments and outerwear.  All promotional products have strong ownership though, with one-quarter or more of recipients owning each.
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Product Popularity Outside the US

Respondents were asked to rate up to three promotional items they had received in the last 12 months.  Promotional items were defined as items that include pens, t-shirts, drinkware, calendars or any items that have an advertiser's logo on them (usually given away for free by companies to consumers).
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Product Spotlight:  T-SHIRTS

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Product Spotlight:  WRITING INSTRUMENTS

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Product Spotlight:  BAGS

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Product Spotlight:  CALENDARS

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Product Spotlight:   DESK ACCESSORIES

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Product Spotlight:  CAPS & HEADWEAR

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Product Spotlight:  DRINKWARE

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Product Spotlight:  USBs

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Product Spotlight:  HEALTH & SAFETY ITEMS

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Product Spotlight:  OUTERWEAR & FLEECE

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Product Spotlight:  UMBRELLAS

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Product Spotlight:  MOBILE POWER BANKS

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Promotional Products that have the Biggest Impact on Opinions about the Advertiser ​(by state)

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If you want to influence opinions, give away USB DRIVES

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42% have a more favorable opinion of an advertiser if the promotional product they receive was ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY

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53% have a more favorable opinion of an advertiser if the promotional product they received was MADE IN THE USA
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Staying Power - Promotional Products Don't Fade Away

Respondents were asked how long they keep an typical type of promotional item.  Across all promotional products, the average was just over seven months.  Some products, such as calendars, can stay around for about a year, while others, especially heath and safety products and writing instruments, last for about six months.  Calendars, which have the longest staying power, are the one item used most often for reference purposes, such as referring to a name or phone number.
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Promotional Products Are Passed Along

Consumers who receive promotional products will typically give them to someone else when they are finished with them, thus furthering the advertiser's reach.  In the US and Canada, nearly two-thirds of promotional products that are not wanted are given away.  In fact, in most countries, more than half of consumers report that they will give away a product that they are finished with rather than throw it out or file it away.
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Usefulness is Key

Consumers want products that are, first and foremost, useful to them, especially when it comes to the more practical items such as writing instruments and USB drives.  Here, usefulness outweighs attractiveness by at least five to one.   However, that's not to say that attractiveness isn't important, especially if the item needs to be worn.  For outerwear, attractiveness is a very close second to usefulness in reasons for keeping the product, with more than half of those who own outerwear reporting to keep it because it is attractive.  If you want a consumer to use the product for reference, then calendars are the way to go.  Apparel items, whether they be shirts, outerwear or hats, are cited as the most enjoyable to have.
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How Many Items Do People Own?

Respondents were asked how many branded items they currently had in their homes and/or offices.  As you'll see below, people in the US own an average of 9.8 promotional products.  The number varies according to US region, country, gender, race, age and political affiliation.
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Word Cloud!

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​Promotional Products Make an Impression

The average number of impressions each promotional product received was calculated.  The number of impressions a product makes was derived from multiplying how long a recipient has the product to how many people they come in contact with each month while using it.

In the US, BAGS continued to generate the most impressions (5,772) of any item measured in the study.  This is because bags are used often in public places where they can be seen by many people.  Other items that deliver a large number of impressions are writing instruments, hats, outerwear and t-shirts.
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While the exact ranking of impressions changes somewhat from location to location, the overall list of products generating the most impressions is consistent.  Wearables consistently deliver a high number of impressions, and in the US, bags deliver the most impressions every year.

Items that create the fewest impressions tend to be those intended mostly for one person, such as health and safety items and USB drives.  The value of these items is more in the connection they make with the user rather than the total number of impressions generated.
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Promotional Products Are Cost-Effective

Promotional products remain less expensive per impression than most other forms of advertising. The investment in promotional products is modest, more targeted and allows for much greater levels of interaction with consumers than other forms of advertising.

As the chart below illustrates, promotional products have a lower cost per impression in the United States than prime-time television advertising, national magazine advertising and newspaper ads, and a similar CPI to radio and Internet advertising. Plus, while all of these other forms of advertising are often passive, advertising specialties allow for much more active interaction, such as storing valuable information on a USB drive or carrying groceries or other items around town in a promotional bag.

Also, consider that when consumers receive promotional products, they are often the exact market segment the advertiser is trying to reach. Banks aren’t simply mailing out pens to consumers of all ages from all areas, whether or not they have a branch there. Rather, they are giving out the pens only to current or prospective customers in the geographic areas that they serve. This targeted approach to advertising is much more difficult, if not impossible, to achieve in other forms of mass market advertising.

More good news: The cost for promotional products are not expected to increase markedly in the next few years, making them a more stable, reliable and innovative way for advertisers to reach consumers. Even more good news: Consider that the cost of producing a 30-second radio or television commercial is often out of reach for all but the biggest advertisers. Many would have their entire advertising budget eaten up before they even aired the commercial more than a few times. This isn’t true with promotional products. Companies from the smallest local businesses to the largest Fortune 100 companies have access to the best that the promotional products business has to offer.
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Last One!  Overall Opinion of Advertising Mediums

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2016 Pantone Color[s] of the Year

12/3/2015

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For the first time, Pantone has named a blend of two shades for Pantone Color of the Year for 2016:  PANTONE 13-1520 (Rose Quartz - a warm rose tone) and PANTONE 15-3919 (Serenity - a cool blue).  Pantone's full announcement can be found here.
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AC USB Adapters - Be sure they are certified

9/15/2014

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So the truth with these AC USB adapters (and electronics in general) is that you want to be sure it has certain certifications to guarantee that the item is safe (there have been recalls in the past due to items like these getting too hot, ruining the cables that are plugged in, etc).  Here are some certifications to look out for (if you look at an electronics item, you'll recognize these markings): 

FCC certification - certifies that the electromagnetic interference from the device is under limits approved by the FCC.
CE certification - indicates compliance with EU legislation of a project (required for European countries).
RoHS certification - indicates compliance with testing when it comes to lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, etc.  

These single USB port and dual USB port adapters are UL Listed (Underwriters Laboratories - leader in product safety testing and certification), so you'll have piece of mind that these items are safe and will work perfectly.
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2013 Promotional Product Facts

8/25/2014

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Quick facts on promotional products and their effectiveness (more recent that the other post):
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Christmas 2014.  Really, it's time to start thinking about the holidays.

7/26/2014

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It's almost Christmas.  I know that sounds weird seeing that we're still in July, but if you're planning on giving out holiday gifts to employees, partners, or clients, it's really the time to start brainstorming!  Come the holiday season, stock tends to run low since everyone is purchasing their holiday gifts (the worst thing is finding out that there is low/no more stock when you're ready to produce something), not to mention all factories are in high-gear because of the influx of orders, so rush productions may not be available (we aren't even allowed to place orders for ourselves during the holiday season!). If you're looking to produce a custom item, it's definitely time to get that wheel going.  We can even explore custom packaging, say for one item or for a set of items, print a custom card, and we can also handle drop-shipping everything nationwide/worldwide. We like to make this easy for you ;)
Below is a slideshow of a snippet of some holiday gift ideas:
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My Essentials

7/15/2014

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A few promo products that I love & are integrated into my daily life:  
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These are almost always with me - portable charger (life saver), journal, felt tip pen (my pens change all the time, I actually have a bunch in my bag), phone with wallet/stand, retractable charger with three tips, 5-in-1 buddy charger, AC/USB adapter (another life saver).   

On the right is my Lahlouh dual USB car charger (the blue LED light glows) - one port is charging my phone (I always charge my phone when driving; it's about efficiency people!) and the other port is charging this little Bluetooth reader (using that retractable charger with three tips. I actually couldn't find the charger for the Bluetooth reader and then remembered I had my handy dandy charger set - WIN).


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Never without my Lahlouh CamelBak & 24 oz aspen stainless steel vacuum insulated water bottle (for coffee, tea, iced tea, iced water ... maybe iced coffee next ... cocktails ... you get the idea)


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Awesome desk piece. It has perforated sheets so just hold that top part down and cleanly tear your notes off!


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Bluetooth Mic Speaker
Great sound and great look.
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Suction Cup Bluetooth Shower Speaker. 
Water-resistant and yup, this is in my shower. 


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My poppers - proudly displayed and used for popper wars.
Ask me for one!
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Typical Imprint Methods - a little 411 on how your logo is imprinted

6/29/2014

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Silk Screen / Screen Printing

This is a process used for apparel imprinting and for imprinting on other types of products.  Basically a woven mesh screen is used to support an ink-blocking stencil to receive a desired image.  Open areas of mesh (your artwork) is where the ink is transferred; a fill blade or a squeegee is moved across the screen, pumping ink through the open areas.  Polyester mesh is used more commonly nowadays; silk was used before synthetic materials came about (hence silk screen).   This method of printing has been around since 960-1279 AD ... so, a long time.

When screen printing apparel, an underbase of white is needed on a colored product (no underbase needed if the product is white) in order for art to be imprinted on top of that white layer.  This ensures color-matching.  We could always print without the underbase to create a vintage look and feel, but keep in mind that the colors being imprinted will be laying on a colored surface, so that colored surface will manipulate the colors being imprinted directly on it.
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Embroidery

The good ol' needle and thread method.  This is of course another way to get your logo on an apparel item, towel, blanket, bag, etc.  Your artwork is converted into a digitizing file (dst), which is what's needed in order for the embroidery machines to embroider your logo.  Pricing is based on stitch count and it's always good to run the logo by me to be sure it will embroider well - fine lines and details may/may not embroider well, depending on its intricacy and size of the logo.
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Pad Printing

Pad Printing is extremely effective on rounded, uneven, or slanted product shapes. It is also perfect for small and intricate logos. A silicone pad is used to transfer the ink onto the product; using an "indirect offset gravure" printing process, an image is transferred from the cliche (printing plate) via a silicone pad and onto an item. The pad can hit various levels on a product at one time. 
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Laser Engraving/Etching

As you'd expect, a laser is used to mark a surface of an item without cutting into the surface.   A beam is emitted from the laser engraving machine and the controller traces patterns onto the surface.  The engraving color will be what the material's color is below the surface.  Oxidation can be used to create more of a contrast of the engraving color.  When something is laser etched, a diamond tip is used to engrave the logo.  Laser engraving is great use on wood and metal products.  There's also a laser-like/satin etch technique that can be used on drinkware, for that frosty-imprint look (sandblasting may also be used).  This method also ensures your logo to be on the item forever - there's no way it could rub-off.  

Dye-sublimation

I love dye-sublimated products.  Art is printed using CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black - the four colors used to print all the colors of the rainbow and then some, also known as four color process) where a film is placed on the product and heat is applied to turn the image into vapor and then back onto the product.  So the ink goes from being solid, then a gas, then back to a solid again.  This process creates gorgeous images.  An example of this would be a dye-sublimated lanyard - you get to create a fully printed lanyard, vs taking a stock lanyard and imprinting on top of the material -- the image basically becomes a part of the lanyard.  Dye sublimation is also great for apparel, custom bags, ribbons, etc.  PMS color matching isn't guaranteed since we're printing this using CMYK, but we will always do our best to match them as best as possible. 

Transfers

A transfer is created in a very similar method to screen printing, however, the ink is applied to a sheet of transfer paper instead of directly onto the material. The transfer is then pressed onto the product using a combination of heat and pressure. This method allows for unlimited color separations (CMYK) that always require an underlay (we'd need to print a layer of white below the image in order to capture the correct colors).
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The Effectiveness of Promotional Products as an Advertising Medium

6/26/2014

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This was a study conducted by PPAI in 2009 (I know, I wish there
was a more recent one), based on about 1,005 participants
who had received a promotional product in the past 24 months.  
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The Message
How do recipients feel about receiving a promotional product? What purpose do they think the item serves? What actions do they take? These are crucial questions every advertiser should know and understand, as the answers can have a dramatic impact on their ROI.

How Consumers Feel
• 83% of American consumers surveyed like receiving a promotional product with an advertising message
• 48% would like to receive promotional products more often
• 38% feel promotional products serve as a constant reminder of the advertiser

How Consumers Act
If free promotional products were being handed out by an advertiser at an event/mall/tradeshow which of the following actions would consumers most likely take?
The Result
According to these survey respondents, promotional products help resonate advertising messages.  When asked to think of a promotional product they had received in the past two years and to recall 1) the specific product, 2) the advertiser, and 3) the message -- a whopping 76.2% recalled all three key pieces of information. 

The Staying Power
Promotional products are powerful, both as effective forms of communication and as useable, necessary tools. The following results reveal just how seamlessly promotional products integrate into life, impacting the daily routines of the recipients.

• 91% had at least one promotional product in their kitchen
• 74% had at least one promotional product in their work area
• 55% had at least one promotional product in their bedroom closet/storage space

The Takeaway
 Target audiences: 

     Like promotional products. 
     Keep promotional products.
     Want more promotional products.

And, to illustrate the direct impact to your bottom line, add in the impressive recall rate
and strong purchase habits post-receipt.

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