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

“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.”

For more information on the global ad impressions study or other ASI research, contact Nate Kucsma at nkucsma@asicentral.com.

About ASI
The Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI^®) serves a network of 23,500 suppliers, distributors and decorators in the $23.6 billion promotional products industry. ASI’s flagship product, the technology platform ESP^®, manages the industry’s entire supply and marketing chain. ASI also produces award-winning digital and print content, live events and educational programs that enable companies in 55 countries to be more efficient, productive and profitable. ASI’s Counselor^® magazine provides the most authoritative business content in the industry, and the ASI Education Certification Program features 200+ live and online education courses for industry professionals. The company, family owned and operated since 1962, is proud to have been consistently ranked among the “Best Places to Work” in Philadelphia and Bucks County, PA. For more info: www.asicentral.com.