Pub. 3 2013 Issue 3

21 O ver the past several years, dealers have been forced to make difficult choices in prioritizing which market- ing and advertising channels to use to help build their brand with consumers. As a result, many dealers have chosen to cut promotional item spending as a way to cut expenses and shift limited resources to other brand- building tools. However, study after study show that promotional items are an essential part of any retailer’s marketing and advertising strategy. These products continually deliver results in helping retailers, including dealerships, quickly and cost-effectively claim their space in the hearts and minds of consumers. Consumers benefit, too, when they view branded items as useful. With that inmind, here are answers to three common questions dealers ask about offering promotional products to consumers: Don’t consumers just throw promotional items away when they get home? No, they don’t. It’s easy to dismiss branded items as “trinkets and trash” that will disappear as soon as the nearest waste can is found. However, research shows most consumers will keep promotional items they consider useful, such as tote bags and writing instruments. 1 In fact, usefulness often is cited as the most important reason why consumers keep an item. Also keep in mind when consumers keep a branded item, they tend to keep it an average of one to four years. During that time, your dealership’s brand and message are exposed and reinforced repeatedly with consumers, a unique benefit of promotional products over other types of marketing tools. Do people really notice my logo and message on a giveaway? Yes, and they remember it, too. A study conducted by PPAI Research indicated nearly 90 percent of people surveyed could recall the promotional product they received and the advertiser’s name. 2 Nearly 75 percent of people also remembered the intended message. The products with the greatest advertiser-message recall included pens, calendars, coffee mugs, and magnets – all of which also offer the “usefulness factor” consumers prefer. Will consumers really change their opinion of my business because I gave them a promotional product? Yes. According to a 2010 global advertising study by the Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI), more than 40 percent of promotional product users have a more favorable impression of an advertiser after receiving an item. 3 Moreover, nearly 40 percent of those same respondents said they would likely shop at a business that distributed a branded item. As you focus on reputation management for your dealership, promotional items offer a tangible way to influence consumer opinion of your brand. As research shows, promotional products are an important tool in helping your dealership build its brand and reinforce its relationship with consumers day after day, month after month, year after year. Claim your space by offering branded items con- sumers deem useful to get the best bang for your advertising buck with each impression made. Q 1 The Power of Promotional Products: Advertising Specialties Impressions Study, Advertising Specialties Institute 2 A Lasting Impression, PPAI Research and MarketTools, Inc. 3 Global Advertising Specialties Impressions Study, Advertising Specialties Institute For more information about promotional products, contact your local Reynolds Document Consultant, call 800.344.0996 or email ids_mktg@ reyrey.com. Useful Promotional Products Deliver Value for Advertisers and Consumers This article fi rst appeared in the Jan. 2, 2013, weekly e-newsletter from Dealer Marketing Magazine. Reprinted with permission.