Improving Brand Equity

Make Your Incentive Dollars Do More!

2010-05-05T11:01:00.021-05:00

Research supports the benefits of tangible rewards over cash.. What’s the better motivator, cash or merchandise? When asked, program participants often say they prefer cash. But time and time again, studies show that participants work harder for tangible rewards.
For example, a study conducted for the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company compared the performance of two groups of participants: one rewarded with cash, and the other rewarded with merchandise and travel. Both groups recorded a performance improvement in response to the incentive offered; however, the group receiving tangible rewards had results nearly 50% higher than their cash-motivated counterparts.
A major drawback of cash is that it lacks “trophy value.” When 1,010 people were asked in a survey how they spent their last cash reward, cash incentive or cash bonus, close to half responded “bills” or “do not remember.” These answers (detailed below) underscore the limited impact of money as a motivator.

Bills.......29%
Do not remember.......18%
Never received cash reward/bonus....... 15%
Gifts for family.......11%
Household items.......11%
Savings.......11%
Special personal treat.......9%
Vacation.......5%
Something else.......2%

—Study Conducted by Wirthlin Worldwide

LIMITATIONS OF CASH INCENTIVES - In a poll conducted by American Express Incentive Services, 17% of American employees surveyed said they had received a year-end cash bonus from their company; yet a full 32% of those who had been rewarded monetarily admitted the bonus did not impact their work performance.

In a separate study of incentive planners-
1) 68% of respondents said cash bonuses can have a negative impact if they are considered to be too small
2) Three of five respondents said that merchandise and travel are better rewards because they are more like a gift
3) Three of five respondents said that cash rewards tend to be perceived as part of an employee’s compensation package.

Source: The Society of Incentive & Travel Executives

CASE STUDY - A national financial services company attracted new agents and sent sales skyrocketing by abandoning its annual cash incentive program for a more inclusive campaign offering merchandise and travel. Whereas only top-producing agents were rewarded in previous years, the new program provided multiple award levels and involved new agents, as well. Results were astounding. By program end, policy enrollments were up 700% over goal, with 10,000 certificates issued—more than twice as many as planned.

HOW MUCH CAN AN INCENTIVE PROGRAM IMPROVE PERFORMANCE? Research indicates that a well-designed incentive program offering non-cash rewards will increase performance an average 22%. Team incentives increase performance by as much as 44%.*

The key to success is in program design: targeting the right behaviors, offering rewards that are meaningful to your audience, and executing and tracking flawlessly.

*Source: Incentives, Motivation and Workplace Performance—Research and Best Practices (International Society of Performance Improvement)

THE POWER OF INCENTIVE PROGRAMS - A study by The Society of Incentive & Travel Executives (SITE) Foundation confirms the impact of incentive programs offering tangible rewards. In addition to increasing work performance an average 22%, such programs also help create positive emotion in the workplace, which greatly influences commitment to a work task, according to Mike Hadlow, president of SITE Foundation. “Incentive programs may be the single most important performance improvement tool available to executives today,” he says.

Finally, keep in mind that incentive programs are investments designed to produced positive ROI. So it’s critical to choose an incentive supplier with know-how. Let us put our expertise to work for you! Take a moment touring our self-paced on-line incentive program demo by clicking on the first button shown below:

**********************We can develop a high yield Incentive Program for you!
Call to setup a phone appointment today.
866.830.3373www.mprinted.comBob Boggan, Owner/CMO at Mprinted.com, Inc.

Gift Ideas That Promote Your Brand

2010-04-02T11:20:00.014-05:00

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Gift Ideas That Promote Your Brand

Maximizing Your Trade Show Investment

2010-03-19T08:32:00.043-05:00

With marketing budgets constantly under scrutiny, the importance of maximizing the return on your trade show investment is more important than ever. Here are tips for getting the most bang for your exhibiting buck.

As with any other marketing program, the basis for exhibiting success rests on how well you plan. “A major reason exhibitors fail is that they are inadequately prepared,” says Steven Hacker, president of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) based in Dallas. “There is an absolute need to do pre-show, on-site, and follow-up promotion. Those who do it right get good results, and those who don’t, get bad results. That’s not to say you can’t get lucky, but why rely on luck when you can do it right.”

Think About Doing A Pre-show Mailing
Include a promotional product offering that will help build booth traffic.
• Including a promotional product with a pre-show mailing or an offer of a promotional product increases the likelihood that an attendee will stop by your booth.
• As a general rule, promotional products of greater value generate more sales leads than products of lower value.

Measuring ROI
The true measure of a trade show is what you get out of it, but, there are many ways to measure ROI, and it varies for each company. What needs to be analyzed is whether the achieved results of the show match your objectives. It takes a lot of work to exhibit at a trade show, but if you do it right, it can be very successful medium.

Did You Know...
• 80% of trade show attendees pre-plan their top ten list of exhibitors to visit.
• Exhibitions are buyers’#1 source for making purchase decisions.
• Exhibitions are more effective than Advertising, Direct Mail or PR at:

generating leads and orders
introducing new products
promoting company awareness
entering new markets

[Source: Center for Exhibition Industry Research]

Do Promotional Giveaways Increase Booth Traffic?
According to trade show attendees:
• 52%—Are more likely to stop by the exhibit if there’s a giveaway
• 20%—Are more likely to remember the booth
• 25%—Feel giveaways are not necessary
• 03%—Feel giveaways should not be used

[Source: Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) Survey]

Impact of booth giveaways:
• 71.6% of trade show attendees who received a promotional product remembered the name of the company that gave it to them.
• 76.3% of attendees had a favorable attitude toward the company that gave them the product.

[Source: 2005 Study by Georgia Southern University]

Case Study:
Traffic-Building Promotion Draws 30% Response Rate

This pre-show mailer went out to a pre-qualified list of 1,000 registered trade show attendees. Over 30% of those who received the mailing visited the booth. Format was a simple 8.5" x 11" self-mailer that invited attendees to come into the booth and match their playing card to a display to see what prize they won. Everyone was a winner, and the client won BIG with the sales that were generated after the show.

We Can Help You Get It Right With...

• Creative pre-show promotion mailings
• Prizes and giveaways that reinforce your brand
• Customized apparel for your booth workers to wear
• Tactics to create a buzz at your booth and draw people in
• Tactics for qualifying top-quality leads
• Post-show: motivate salespeople to convert leads to sales

**********************We can develop a high yield Trade Show promotion for you!
Call to setup a phone appointment today.
866.830.3373www.mprinted.comBob Boggan, Owner/CMO at Mprinted.com, Inc.

Online Marketing:How To Tap Into Huge Potential

2009-12-29T20:27:00.114-06:00

If you’re not integrating interactive marketing tactics into your advertising mix you could be missing a big opportunity. More and more marketing dollars are shifting away from traditional media to the interactive marketing arena and with good reason. When faced with budget reductions and the need for immediate sales in recessionary times interactive marketing tools offer lower cost, higher measurability and better results for direct response.
What’s more, if you're looking to reach a younger demographic, interactive marketing is especially important; it s one of the best ways to connect with hard-to-reach buyers aged 35 and under.

Online Promotions That Work

WebDecoder
WebDecoder products, using a unique patented Hidden Imaging Technology (HITS), conceal a hidden message that can only be viewed on a website, in-store monitor, or digital television. When positioned over a computer screen, the game piece reveals a prize message, icon or other marketing message designed to generate immediate action.

MobiDecoder
MobiDecoder gives you potential access to almost 50 million active users of the mobile web. Incorporating patented Hidden Image Technology, it delivers a digital game piece that the consumer must bring into a retail store or event location to be decoded. Multiple key codes can be used in a promotion to track responses back to specific advertising media and/or distribution outlets, providing valuable data for evaluating ROI.

VirtualDecoder
VirtualDecoder lets you engage with a consumer without having to print and distribute a physical game piece. Targeted participants learn about the promotion via e-mail, direct mail, radio or other traditional media and are directed to visit a website. After providing their registration information, participants are served a virtual game piece on their display screen and use their mouse to drag the decoder over the embedded hidden image area to reveal their prize or value offer.

Online Game’s
Online games like this one developed for Act II popcorn get your targeted audience involved in a fun and impactful way. Aimed at increasing sales in the commercial vending channel, the game offered a chance to win $1 million. To play, consumers had to go online and register the freshness code found on their product package. Results were outstanding, with sales growing from 12 million to 16 million units during the nine-month promotion period.

A $55 BILLION BUSINESS

Interactive Marketing expenditures will reach $55 billion within the next 5 years. This represents 21% of all marketing spending.
Top Interactive Tactics:

• Search engine marketing
• Internet display advertising
• E-mail marketing
• Social Media
• Mobil Marketing
Source: U.S. Interactive Marketing Forecast – Forrester Research

As budgets shift to interactive marketing from traditional media, overall advertising spending is decreasing. Marketers are focusing on interactive marketing tools that drive immediate response and sales, according to Shar VanBroskirk , VP and principal analyst at Forrester Research.

Click here to view case studies

**********************Click here to view more HITS Products**********************We can develop a high yield Interactive HITS promotion for you!
Call to setup a phone appointment today.
866.830.3373www.mprinted.comBob Boggan, Owner/CMO at Mprinted.com, Inc.

Event Marketing-Driving Prospect Traffic to Your Location

2009-12-18T16:20:00.040-06:00

Imagine if...
you just ran a promotion expecting 16,000 prospects and 178,500 showed up!

These are the kind of results that event marketers are achieving when they use a TrafficTickets™ promotion to attract new customers...increase sales...and improve profits.

The TrafficTickets™System is your promotional ticket to the highest prospect traffic levels you can imagine!

It's NOT a scratch-off, it's NOT a match-n-win... it's Interactive Consumer Promotion Technology.

This promotion tells consumers electronically and visually what they've won-but only after they come to your point-of-sale display!

TrafficTickets is an innovative marketing tool that drives customers into your retail center or trade show booth resulting in increased sales and improved brand awareness.

HOW IT WORKS:

• Everyone's a winner.

• TrafficTickets™ are distributed to consumers/prospective buyers through direct mail promotions, newspaper inserts and/or handed out in-store or at marketing events.

• Customers have to come into your retail store or trade show booth, visit the promotional point-of-sale display and insert their game ticket to see what prize/discount they've won.

• The game piece activates a light on the display, which indicates which one of the five prizes/discounts has been won.

• Turnkey service includes production of promotional materials, distribution of game pieces and prize fulfillment.

WHY TrafficTickets™?
ULTRA HIGH RESPONSE RATES!

Compare.........................Avg. Response Rate

• TrafficTickets..............................10%-35+%
• Scratch-Off Promotions...............1-3%
• Newspaper inserts.......................1%

VALUE - Higher response rate translates into higher ROI-plus, TrafficTickets™ promotion materials are very cost effective!

SATISFACTION - More than 95% of those who have used the TrafficTickets™ System say they will use it again and are extremely satisfied with their results.

BUILT-IN SECURITY - This Promotional system prevents fraudulent copying or printing by utilizing a specially patented ink process and multiple game card positions which creates a totally secure environment.

DATABASE BONUS - Barcodes can be added to the TrafficTickets for data collection and verification, enabling you to capture valuable consumer data for future use.

CASE STUDY
Objective: New customer acquisition.
Client: AmSouth Bank
Strategy: Direct mail promotional campaign TrafficTickets™ were mailed to 800,000 households surrounding 300 branches.
Results: Client was expecting a 2% response (16,000 people). The promotion actually drove 178,500 customers to the branches. Program resulted in high conversion rates and the bank set a new record for most new accounts opened during any 6-week promotional period.

BENEFITS IN A NUTSHELL
• Drive consumers into retail locations and events
• Increases sales
• Improve brand awareness at point-of-sale
• Acquire, retain and cross-sell customers
• Launch new products/services,seasonal promotions,branch openings
• Effective anywhere you need to drive customer traffic

MORE TESTIMONIALS:
“We usually get 2-3% response when we run a consumer promotion; we were not prepared for the 14%+ response we got from using TrafficTickets.”

“We had people lined-up from opening until closing to see what they had won-our sales skyrocketed during and after the event”

“Before using TraficTickets our cost per credit application was 6 times more-they are a real winner”

**********************

Click here to view more case studies

**********************

We can develop a high yield TrafficTickets™ promotion for you!

Call to setup a phone appointment today.
866.830.3373www.mprinted.com
Bob Boggan, Owner/CMO at Mprinted.com, Inc.

Coupon Marketing with a Creative Twist

2009-12-07T13:44:00.045-06:00

Think beyond traditional delivery systems for redemption rates up to 30%!
Coupons are experiencing resurgence in popularity, as cost-conscious consumers seek to weather the down-turned economy. Backed with a well-planned strategy, they can be an important part of your marketing mix.
The key to success is getting your coupons into the hands of potential buyers and keeping them there, in sight and in mind, up to the point of sale. The more targeted you can be in your distribution—and the more creative you can be in your delivery method—the higher your redemption and sales will be.
The following are three proven ideas that eliminate the wasted coverage of mass media distribution and take coupon marketing beyond the ordinary.

IDEA #1: Peel-A-Deal® Mailer
Peel-A-Deal® is a unique form of targeted direct mail that delivers credit-card-sized coupons that are easy for customers to retain and use. It’s available in multiple formats including the self-mailer postcard shown here, which carries 4-16 coupons per side. The coupons peel off easily and fit in a wallet like a credit card. It’s user friendly, convenient, and effective in generating sales—delivering average redemption rates of 5%-30%!

IDEA #2: Coupon Calendar
Everyone needs calendars. In fact, surveys indicate that 98% of homes and virtually 100% of businesses use at least one! Therefore, it stands to reason that advertisers that distribute calendars to their target audience are meeting a recognized need. Add coupons to the calendar, and it has even more value.
Design options include:
• Coupons on every monthly page
• Coupons on a 13th page bound into the calendar
• Bar codes on coupons for tracking redemptions
• Variable data printing (enables you to vary coupon offers according to recipient demographics)
A calendar gives you a full year’s worth of coupon distribution—and daily advertising exposure— for a cost that’s just pennies per day. Plus, you can time your coupon offers to integrate with other promotions planned for a given month. The results and cost per impression are hard to beat!

The Power Of Calendar Advetising
Calendars are a perfect medium for cost-effective coupon distribution. Just look at the sales power they have!
• 83% of customers purchased products or services from the advertiser who supplied them with a calendar, compared to 78% that did business with the advertiser before receiving the calendar.
• 94% of all business people can recall the advertising message on their calendars.
• On average, a person looks at a calendar 12 times a day, or 84 times a week. That adds up to 4,380 impressions after 365 days. Your brand will leave a definite impression!

IDEA #3: Magnet Coupon Mailer

Magnetic coupon mailers can be sent directly to your targeted audience. They’re inexpensive and outlast throwaway advertising, generating average redemption rates of 10%-30%. Configure your offers to last for weeks or months, saving the cost of repetitive mailings and delivering outstanding “staying power.”
According to a study at Purdue University, the average American visits his/her refrigerator 22 times a day. Every time the door is opened, your magnetic coupons will be there—sticking around, getting noticed, and asking for sales!

COUPONS WITH STAYING POWER!
• Coupons delivered via the Peel-A-Deal® and magnet coupon mailers described herein are kept, on average, 50% of the time.

• These mailers cost about the same to produce as a traditional coupon flyer.

• Designed for retention, they give your coupons 3-12 month staying power.

IMPACT OF COUPONS IN DRIVING SALES
• 87% of shoppers said they’d be more likely to shop at a retailer that offered a coupon.

• 70% said they’d be “much more likely to purchase” if they were offered a coupon.
Source: Promotion Marketing Association (PMA) Survey

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Call for more information on these and other ideas for creative coupon distribution!
866.830.3373
www.mprinted.com

Cutting Back on Travel Hampers Corporate Growth and Performance

2009-12-07T12:48:00.003-06:00

As companies look for ways to combat weakening profits and achieve cost savings, it's tempting to slash business travel as a means for reducing budgets. And while it's true that (as with any cost), there are potential savings that can be realized through more careful allocations of corporate travel, it's risky to cut back too much. In fact, companies that continue to invest in travel reap returns that more than justify the expense.
These are findings of a new study conducted by global research firm Oxford Economics: The Return on Investment of U.S. Business Travel. Commissioned by the U.S. Travel Association, it establishes for the first time a clear link between business travel and corporate performance and growth.

Key Research Findings:
• Econometric analysis and executive surveys both confirmed a high delivery of ROI: for every dollar invested in business travel, companies realize $12.50 in incremental revenue.
• Curbing business travel can reduce a company's profits for years. The average U.S. business would forfeit 17% of its profits in the first year of eliminating business travel. It would take more than three years for profits to recover.
• Both executives and business travelers estimate that 28% of current business would be lost without in-person meetings.
• Both executives and business travelers estimate that roughly 40% of their prospective customers are converted to new buyers with an in-person meeting compared to 16% without such a meeting.
• More than half of business travelers stated that 5-20% of their company's new customers were the result of trade show participation.
• Executives stated that in order to achieve the same effect of incentive travel, an employee's total base compensation would need to be increased 8.5%.
• An increase in government travel spending of $1 million will increase government worker productivity and therefore output by between $4.6 million and $6.3 million.

"This study shows that not all spending cuts are smart cuts. When companies cut their travel budgets, there are negative consequences that we can now quantify in terms of lost revenue and profit growth, and in terms of giving competitors a distinct advantage."
-Adam Sacks, Managing Director, Oxford Economics

What Does Travel Mean for the Bottom Line?
• Executives indicated that the average return of business travel on revenue was between $10 and $14.99 per dollar invested across four types of trips.
• Customer meetings were cited as having the greatest returns, in the range of $15-$19.99 per dollar invested.
• Executives indicated returns for conferences and trade shows in the range of $4-$5.00 for each dollar spent.
• Incentive travel investments yielded an ROI of more than $4.00 for each dollar invested.
• While the highest returns related to broader business travel such as meetings and conventions, the research model did take into account that such trips often have an incentive component, even if it is just the fact that the meeting takes place at a resort

Logomark's Promotional Products Showrooms

2009-08-04T07:30:00.001-05:00

A great idea in the promotional products business is the availability of local showrooms offered by Logomark in various cities throughout the country. My customers and prospects in the Dallas/Ft.Worth area love the idea as well. Anytime we need to visualized a promotional product that may fit well into a marketing campaign, we simply head down to our local Logomark showroom to view a broad spectrum of promotional items on display. Each time I visit the Logomark showroom with my customer or prospect, the knowledgeable Logomark rep. gives us the red carpet treatment. The first product display we visit in the showroom is the one we're considering for the current promotional campaign. But our visit doesn't end there; we then take a full tour of the showroom to gather more ideas which always proves helpful in organizing a successful promotional products campaign. We can even order branded merchandise samples right there in the showroom for immediate delivery.

Pictures on a Website are a good beginning, but nothing beats the actual viewing and handling of promotional products in the Logomark showroom. My prospects and customers can make immediate decisions about whether or not a particular promotional product will fit into their marketing campaign. The Logomark showroom saves on time and money. Waiting days on the arrival of a sample is no longer required and the cost of shipping a branded merchandise sample is avoided. So whenever I need help in generating solid marketing ideas, my first step is to take my customers and prospects to the Logmark showroom. Bravo Logomark!
Author: Bob Boggan, CMO and Partner at Mprinted.com, Inc. (http://www.mprinted.com/)

Top 10 Best Valued Promotional Products

2009-08-04T07:00:00.001-05:00

Here are my favorite branded merchandise items that will help your business get notice. These ideas will help increase sales, bring in new prospects and bolster customer and employee loyalty.

1) Inflatable Ads: Helium inflated blimps, balloons and spheres are an effective and a cost-efficient way to promote an event, sale, or to simply increase the visibility of your company. Helium inflatables can be visible from several blocks or even miles away, depending on the size of the unit and the height at which is flown. Our blimps can be customized with imprinted logos or text and manufactured in a wide variety of body and fin colors.

2) Banners & Signs:Are an excellent indoor/outdoor advertising tool that will immediately increase exposure and visibility. The innovative design of our banners ensures continuous visibility of your logo or company name, and is easy for your customers to see. Banners and signs provide a classy, effortless way to promote your logo or brand name at events, store promotions, real estate sites, shopping centers, outdoor sporting events and other occasions.

3) Trade Show Displays: These items can convert from a compact unit to an impressive 10’ graphic backdrop in seconds. Containing a one piece full color graphic panel made of wrinkle resistant poplin fabric. Free soft sided carrying case included.... Your full color / photographic design is dye sublimated on stretch-able fabric that zips securely in place over a sturdy Lt. weight PVC frame. These portable display kits includes frame of your choice and imprintable graphic panel based on supplied art convert your full color ad or company display information into an instant eye catching exhibit!

4) The Silent Salesperson - Embroidered Apparel:Why do I call these the silent sales persons? As the wearer of the branded apparel is seen around town, in elevators, at trade shows, in offices, the observer has the opportunity to read the name without asking who you work for. This also helps people keep on their best behavior because of the name identifier sewn into the shirts.

5) Desk and Wall Calendars: Advertising calendars have been perennial favorites for many years. While we continue to offer tried and true classics, the evolution of digital printing lets us offer great prices, low minimums and even personalized imprinting on custom full color items. Check out all of our cool products. We truly have something for everyone!

6) Memory Sticks:While others are splurging a bunch of money on conventional advertising like TV, radio, and newspapers, there are cheaper ways of doing so by targeting your preferred market in order to optimize your advertising dollar. More and more people cannot live without touching a computer even for a day. What better way to get your company’s message across by giving away a free USB flash drive? After all, everyone could definitely do with more portable memory, and a USB flash drive is the perfect tool for the job at the moment. Did you know there are thumb drives that can hold as much as 8 gigs of memory?

7) Eco-Friendly Promotional Products: Earth-friendly business gifts given to clients and employees say you take an active role in ensuring a better world. Long-lasting reusable branded merchandise will help make a difference on the environment by reducing waste and saving energy. A thoughtful, high quality eco-friendly promotional products with your company name prominently displayed will deliver a lasting impact and provide a positive impression of your business.

8) Walking Billboards; the ever present Tote Bag: Giveaways at trade shows and conventions are important. No one ever turns down a free promotional pen or imprinted notepad; but branded merchandise like this ends up in a pocket, purse, or briefcase. What wandering customers and prospects need to relieve their bulging pockets and overflowing purses is a tote bag. Your logo will trek all over the convention floor, proudly creating brand awareness everywhere it goes. A custom tote bag calls out to a large audience, and it will certainly cause other attendees to ask where it came from.

9) Magnetic Ads:According to a study at Purdue University, the average American visits their refrigerator 22 times a day. So, your magnetic promotional product offers you around 8,030 impressions on a consumer each year. That's one of the lowest costs per impression of any item in our industry! Moreover, another popular and cost effective method to increase public exposure for your school sports team, your church, a charity group, or your business is the Car sign magnet. This as well as many other forms of magnetic ads are incredibly popular and offer the most inexpensive way to get noticed.

10) Achievement Awards: Recognition boosts people’s esteem and performance. Recognition signifies that someone notices and someone cares. It satisfies a person’s essential needs and leads to new motivation, improved performance and higher self-esteem. Bottom line — an organization that wants to be competitive absolutely needs to make employees feel valued so they perform their best work on a daily basis — and stick around to make a continuous contribution.

Author: Bob Boggan, CMO & Partner at Mprinted.com, Inc. (http://www.mprinted.com/)

The Cumulative Effect of Specialty Advertising

2009-08-03T08:30:00.005-05:00

The most cost effective way to keep the company brand in front of your target audience is through the use of specialty advertising. Moreover, an economic recession is the best time to invest your marketing dollars in this valuable and diverse advertising tool. Promotional products help improve and strengthen your brand equity at a fraction of the cost of other advertising methods. As you will see from the conclusions found in this recent study, your return-on-investment is far greater when your marketing budget is spent on specialty advertising. But simply placing your logo on an item does not ensure higher sales or stronger audience appeal. You need to partner with a promotional marketing specialist who becomes an extension of your marketing team; helping to customize the right promotional product or logo apparel to fit your brand image or event marketing requirement. Their primary goal should be to help make the process easier; from concept to completed project, helping select the right product within budget while accurately managing the details and delivering measurable results. This study reveals the extensive value of specialty advertising. But keep in mind that a promotional marketing specialist can help you convert this value into maximum visibility while delivering a positive and lasting impression of your enterprise.

Background:

In June and July of 2008, a team of interviewers surveyed 465 businesspeople in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Philadelphia regarding promotional products they had received. The purpose of the interviews was to understand how advertising specialties influence end-users' purchasing decisions; determine the number of impressions of popular advertising specialties; and analyze the Cost Per Impression (CPI) of advertising specialties compared with other popular advertising media.
Further, during October 2008, an online panel survey was conducted among recipients of advertising specialties to augment the sample from the in-person interviews. Results have been combined in the report where appropriate. There were 213 completed Web based interviews, for a total of 618 completed surveys for this study. Respondents were asked if they had received any promotional products in the last 12 months. Most respondents were business/professional people (84%) and all were age 21 or older.

Summary of Conclusions:

• Instant recall: More than 8 out of 10 (84%) respondents remembered the advertisers of the promotional products they received.

• Very impressionable: 42% of respondents had a MORE favorable impression of an advertiser after receiving the item. And nearly a quarter (24%) said they are MORE likely to do business with the advertiser on the items they receive.

• It's all business: Most respondents (62%) have done business with the advertiser on a promotional product after receiving the item.

• Pens are in: Writing instruments are the most-recalled advertising specialty items (54% of respondents recall owning them), followed by shirts, caps and bags.

• User-friendly: The majority (81%) of promotional products were kept because they were considered useful.

• Staying power: More than three-quarters of respondents have had their items for more than 6 months.

• Bag it!: Among wearables, bags were reported to be used most frequently with respondents indicating that they used their bags an average of 9 times per month. They also deliver the most impressions: Each bag averages 1,038impressions per month.

• Most impressive: The average CPI of an advertising specialty item is $0.004; as a result, marketers get a more favorable return on investment from advertising specialties than nearly any other popular advertising media.

Sponsored By Advertising Specialty Institute. The full report is available upon request.

Editor: Bob Boggan, CMO and Partner at Mprinted.com, Inc. (http://www.mprinted.com/)