ASI’s Latest Global Advertising Study Proves Value And Effectiveness Of Promo Products

Research says consumers more likely to have positive opinion of promos over internet advertising

TREVOSE, PA – January 22, 2019 – The Advertising Specialty Institute^® (ASI) today released groundbreaking global research proving promotional products deliver commanding advertiser recall among 85% of consumers surveyed.

Further, the 2019 edition of the ASI Global Ad Impressions Study shows consumers are nearly 2.5 times more likely to have a positive opinion of promotional products compared to internet advertising. Plus, the study proves promo products offer a strong rate of return on investment (ROI), with the cost per impression (CPI) as low as 1/10 of one cent, lower than nearly any other advertising medium, making it an attractive choice for smaller businesses lacking large advertising budgets.

The study, conducted by the ASI Market Research team, gives ASI members powerful data proving that promo products are the most high-impact, cost-effective advertising medium around. Study findings were based on thousands of online surveys of consumers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and parts of Europe.

“With our latest study, ASI solidifies our position as the industry leader in providing global research that helps distributors worldwide provide indisputable evidence to clients of the power, reach and enduring popularity of logoed promotional products,” said Timothy M. Andrews, president and chief executive officer of ASI. “And, advertising myths to the contrary, ASI’s study proves that consumers under 55 actually prefer promo products over all other mediums, including newspapers, radio, magazines, television, internet and mobile.”

ASI’s global ad study provides proof of promotional products’ reach, consumers’ perceptions of them, how branded products influence buying decisions and products’ impact on consumer opinions of the advertiser, with data showing the average household in the U.S. owns 30 promotional items. Gen X-led households own an average of 34 items, followed by millennials with 30 and baby boomers with 28.

“The ubiquity of promotional products in America is staggering,” says Nate Kucsma, executive director of research and corporate marketing at ASI. “Just think about it: If there are 120 million households in America, that means there are over three billion company logos floating around the U.S. at any given time.”

ASI’s research studies are the most influential in the industry, continuously cited throughout the B-to-B industry and across the advertising and marketing spectrum. Highlights from ASI’s 2019 ad study include:

• Overall Ownership of Promo Items Remains Sky High. U.S. consumers own a wide variety of promo products, with nearly nine in 10 consumers reporting they own logoed pens as well as branded drinkware, on par with cellphones and other American household mainstays.
• Consumers Prefer American-Made Items. In total, 53% have a more favorable opinion of an advertiser if the promotional product was made in the USA.
• Promo Products Have Tremendous Staying Power. The average length of time a consumer keeps a promotional product is about one year. In terms of product categories, outerwear, umbrellas and T-shirts stick around the longest.
• Promo Products Make an Impression. In the U.S., outerwear generates the most impressions (6,100 over its lifetime) because it’s often worn in public places. Other items that deliver a large number of impressions are headwear, T-shirts and writing instruments.

“How long does a TV commercial last – 30 seconds?” said Kucsma. “What about a newspaper or magazine ad – five seconds? Even when you compare this to writing instruments, which are kept the least amount of time at six months, the comparison is laughable.”