According to Wikipedia, "Promotional items or promotional products refers to articles of merchandise that are used in marketing and communication programs. These items are usually imprinted with a company's name, logo or slogan, and given away at trade shows, conferences, and as part of guerrilla marketing campaigns"
I would go one step further and say the item needs to be useful (at least for a little while) - after all if the promotional item is not useful, the reach and impact of your campaign or message is limited.
The main difference that promotional products offer compared to conventional forms of advertising (ie Press etc..) is the number of impressions acheived by each item, and the cost of acheiving each of these repeat impression or brand re-inforcements to your target audience.
A simple comparison is a newspaper advert compared to your message on a promotional pen. Think for a moment, unless you're looking for what a particular newspaper advert has to offer, you may not even read it. - and if you do register the ad, how long will you remember it for?
Compare that to your message/logo/slogan on a humble promotional pen (as an example) - how many times a day will your recipient use the pen and inadvertantly have your message in front of them? - also, how long will the pen stay within viewing range of your target or client? (Even if it gets put in a draw, only to be reached for a few times a month, your impression cost is far less, and longer lasting than a press ad)
Sure, promotional pens may not be a useful item for your target audience, but needless to say there are literally hundreds of thousands of promotional products at your disposal that can be used to create the right impact at the right price.
Here's some statistics for you to ponder;
REACH:
71% of business travellers surveyed at an international airport received a promotional product in the last 12 months.
33.7% of this group had the item on their person.
56% of people kept their promotional product for more than one year.
76.4% said they kept their promotional product because it was useful
RECALL:
76.1% of the respondents could recall the advertisers name on the product they have received in the last 12 months
In comparison, 80% of participants answered yes to reading a newspaper or magazine in the last week but only 53.5% of them could recall the name of a single advertiser
Source: APPA
Food for thought when planning your next marketing campaign.
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