Promotional item

From ArticleWorld

A promotional item is an item usually given away free of charge to promote business, increase interest in a product, or to encourage people to buy a product. Often these products are called trinkets.

Not only are promotional items used to advertise a business or product, but they are also used to promote political candidates. The same products are used in businesses as well.

Examples

The products used in promotion of political candidates and business include t-shirts, caps, key chains, notepads, coffee mugs, buttons, and magnets. Any one or the combination of these usually has a logo painted or stamped on it, signifying that it is promoting a person, business, product, or non-profit group.

Promotional items are a very effective way to reach even a small amount of people, and the extra cost is usually worth it. Furthermore, most of the promotional items are durable, and will help the person receiving it to remember the advertisement logo imprinted on it for a long time.

Often promotional items will represent a corporation and seasonal advertising campaigns as well. Furthermore, they help market a new product or service and help increase the awareness of existing products or services.

Promotional items are usually less expensive to distribute and often more effective than mass advertising (newspaper, radio, TV) because they reach people in a way the product, company, service or political party can be remembered.

Effectiveness

The reason why people remember items advertised on promotional items is because the advertisements are imprinted on an item that is reusable. This is far more effective in some cases than the direct mail medium because most people throw away mail that comes from unknown sources.

Promotional items are also an effective way to ignite a word of mouth spark. For example, someone could tell someone else “I like your coffee mug. Where did you get it?” This creates a conversation which spreads the word about what is being advertised on the promotional item. This is promotional advertising functioning at its best.