At this year's Promotional Products Association tradeshow, more than 95 percent of business professionals surveyed reported using custom promotional products at their tradeshows and events. Roughly 72 percent of respondents state that promo items are either "extremely effective" or "effective" in accomplishing their goals.

There are many reasons to use imprinted merchandise and promotional product advertising, including: to increase name recognition, to increase booth traffic flow, to generate goodwill, to attract new customers and to generate interest in products.

The Incentive Performance Central completed a 2006 study that found custom promotional products could be used as a stand-alone advertising medium, coming second in "information value" only to television advertising. They continued by stating that imprinted merchandise was a very effective supplementary advertising device, to reinforce positive brand image, alongside tv and print mediums.

The promo products helped to create at-home reminders, enhanced impressions of the brand/product and contributed to a consumer's intent to buy. Respondents to the survey stated that a custom promotional product was their second favorite source of information, after television.

Promotional Products Association International said that they found businesses that had a corporate gift program were twice as likely to be contacted by customers, as compared to those who did not give gifts. So, the real question is not whether you'll use promo products, but rather which promotional merchandise you'll choose!

Nearly 31% of all promotional products orders are for corporate apparel, meaning t-shirts, hats, hoodies, vests, gloves, scarves, etc. In 2006, General Motors ran promotional advertising campaigns with local baseball teams, like the Rochester Redwings. On the front of the shirt was the baseball team's logo and the back of the shirt had the General Motors logo.

People went wild and filled out surveys by the thousands for the shirts! Cross-promotional branding is an amazing way to create logo products that can be worn and appreciated for years, especially because these items can't be purchased in stores. You can use the popularity of another brand to boost your own popularity, in the same way a testimonial or referral would, and consumers are more willing to trust you with their business.

For a multi-million-dollar industry, the sad fact is that people generally don't really like advertising. Most consumers are fast-forwarding through commercials with TiVo if they can, trying not to read the billboards on the way to work and deleting all the spam emails in their inbox.

People like information when they're ready for it. They like information that they can use. They like a brand image that they can adopt, that somehow makes them a better person by being associated with it. That is why advertising with promotional products is one of the most effective ways to market your business!