Promotional Products

Promotional products or items are pieces of goods and commodities given away for free by marketing and communication programs. Typically, these are stamped or bedecked with the name, appellation, emblem or message of the particular company or group in question. Any business enterprise, company, corporation, or practically any endeavor interested in endorsing or advertising any particular item or concept, should know the value of the utilization of promotional products. Moreover, political, fund-raising, and awareness-raising campaigns make use of promotional products.  

A few examples of promotional products include shirts, caps, hats, jackets, mugs, windshield sun deflectors, key chains, car accessories, foot wear, bumper stickers, computer accessories, desk and office accessories, buttons, calendars, clocks, pens, tools, playing cards, badges, organizer diaries, pillows, bags, travel accessories, umbrellas, and a host of other useful items. There are even newer categories such as eco-friendly promotional gifts.

Most of the time, logos or insignias are embroidered, silk screened, embossed, or imprinted onto these gratis articles of merchandise. Aside from concrete and physical items represented by those enumerated above, intangible and partially insubstantial things such as business gifts, gift cheques, awards, premiums, incentives, advertising specialties, commemoratives and the like are also deemed as promotional products. 

Promotional products or items have also been dubbed several slang terms, such as swag and tchotchke. The word tchotchke is etymologically related to the Yiddish term for trinket. Although promotional products have developed to be a large part of the publicity aspect of any enterprise, the alternative names for promotional products evolved from their arbitrary use as giveaways. Nowadays, however, promotional products have grown to be a highly significant element in integrated marketing, such that companies and organizations may even hire the services of a professional promotional consultant to better home in on specialized markets in order to spawn expressly precise, identifiable and appreciable outcomes. 

These contraptions of promotion may be distributed randomly, or at trade shows, fairs, exhibitions, events and other extravaganzas. They may also be distributed via direct mail or as a component of guerilla marketing. 

The industry of promotional products has grown significantly over the last few decades. In the year 2006, sales of promotional products reached up to $18.6 billion dollars in the USA, as compared to the 2005 total sales of $17.8 billion. This particular industry has even exceeded newspaper and radio advertising in terms of rate of growth. Furthermore, it has been shown to exceed sales made from cable TV advertising ($16.9 billion), online advertising ($16.8 billion), telephone directory advertising ($14.4 billion), and outdoor advertising through bill boards and posters ($6.8 billion).  

The exponential growth made by the business of promotional products is credited to the capability of this publicity and advertising strategy to connect to the recipient through its relevance and expediency. Still one other perceived reason for the extreme popularity of promotional products is that they have a universal appeal which can draw in people of all ages, especially since they are often directed at particular populations. Some people, in fact, have made a hobby out of collecting promotional products. Furthermore, they have a certain upshot all five senses.