Why Practical Promotional Products are a Good Choice

Promotional products are a well established and powerful marketing tool. The practice of giving gifts to potential customers has a history in promoting brands and services that spans over decades or even centuries. The principle lying behind the success of promotional products is the psychological rule of reciprocity. Centuries of cultural practices have impacted on human behaviour to respond positively and reciprocally to a gift. In other words, when the consumer is given a free product, they feel bound by simple manners to respond by investing money in the company. Although this rule of reciprocity is based on cultural structures, using decorated merchandise to market a brand has proved successful in all parts of the world, as all societies value honesty and generosity over greed.

Because decorated merchandise are so well established as a marketing tool, it makes sense to examine the types of gifts that have been traditionally given to consumers and have brought success in broadening awareness of a brand and encouraging sales. The products used for promotion that are relied upon for bringing results most often fall into the 'practical' category, including pens and other stationery and small tools or accessories for the home. While these can be thought of as generic or boring choices for promotional products, there are a variety of reasons as to why they bring success.

If you choose a promotional product that proves to be extremely useful to the user, even if it is just a pen that writes particularly well, it is more likely that they will keep the gift in a visible position and return to it again and again. Visibility and 'staying power' are vital qualities of a successful promotional product as the receiver is frequently reminded of their gift and is therefore psychologically prompted to reciprocate. All forms of stationery are a particularly popular product choice for encouraging relations between businesses as people often make important decisions at their desks, and having your brand name conveniently placed nearby can only help.

Practical promotional products don't need to be boring. Combining a useful product with a humorous message or striking appearance can be a most successful method as it catches the consumer’s eye and holds their attention long-term. Choosing decorated merchandise that your customer finds useful shows that you are engaged with your audience and are well acquainted with their desires and activities. Giving this impression to potential customers will inevitably encourage a closer emotional connection to your brand and strengthen the reciprocal response.