Choosing Your Corporate Goodies Like a Pro [Marketer’s Guide]

This morning again, I was in front of my computer.

• I grab my still hot coffee from a mug in the colors of VisionaryMarketing, my friend Yann Gourvennec’s consulting agency.
• An idea crosses my mind: I grab an “ESC Grenoble” notepad and a promotional pen from LinkedIn.
• Then I pick up the mouse and wave it over a personalized mat with the logo of a Grenoble SME.
• A glance at a mini calendar offered by an e-commerce site and I realize that I have an appointment.

Yes, corporate goodies are indeed present in our lives!

As you may have read when I was talking about promotional bags, communication through the object is a huge windfall, which has real marketing utility:

• 90%  of people who receive a promotional item can  remember the brand name.
• 82%  of people have a  more favorable impression of a brand  after receiving a promotional product.

It is therefore quite natural that many advertisers create their own corporate goodies, and that the market in France weighs more than 1.2 billion euros.

There remains, however, an unanswered question for the marketer who wishes to communicate through the object: what are the best goodies? Which ones people love, keep, and which will really impact awareness and brand image?

Well, I went looking for you the precise statistics to answer these questions.

VISIBILITY: Corporate goodies that maximize brand exposure

Promotional items that people see, keep and share

In “advertising object”, there is the word “advertising”. It’s undeniable.

If you take the trouble to make goodies in your colors, it is because in return, you expect a specific marketing benefit:

• that people remember you,
• for a long time
• and that they talk about you to those around them.

This is why advertising objects can be classified according to 3 indicators:

• The average number of exposures to the brand over the lifetime of the goodies (impressions)
• The average time of possession of the promotional object (in months)
• The virality rate, i.e. the % of people who end up offering the advertising object to another person (who is therefore exposed in turn to the brand)

“Fashion” goodies as the most effective for boosting brand visibility

When we look at the data, promotional items related to fashion (outerwear, t-shirts & polos, caps, bags, etc.) are those that have the best results on these 3 criteria.

The calendar, on the other hand, seems to be the least effective corporate goodie if you want maximum brand exposure.

For more visibility, make sure that people can in turn give the goodies

An important variable to take into account, when the main objective is to maximize the exposure of your brand, is the “viral rate” (the percentage of people who end up “offering” the goodies to other people ).

By relying on everyone’s network in this way, you can extend the reach of your advertising object and garner more exposure for your brand throughout the life of the goodies.

The data clearly show the direct relationship between “virality rate” and “brand exposure”.

PROFITABILITY: The corporate goodies with the best return on investment (ROI)

Profitability means looking for the goodies with the best cost per exhibition and the longest holding time

Making your brand known is one thing, but budgets are not unlimited. So what are the corporate goodies that are the most profitable?

By profitable, we mean an advertising object:

• which gives the best exposure in relation to the invested cost ( Cost per Impression )
• which will be kept for a long time so as not to have too frequent renewal

The winning goodies: fashion and accessories

According to these two criteria, we find at the top of the podium of the most profitable goodies advertising objects related to fashion, but also accessories such as umbrellas, portable chargers or office accessories (such as the famous personalized company mug).

A pub object that lasts is a pub object that is less likely to end up in the trash and more likely to be transferred

Note an interesting phenomenon that we observe in the data: if you don’t want your corporate goodies to end up in the trash, make sure people keep them for a long time !

Indeed, there is a strong correlation between the average time of possession of an advertising object and the rate of waste, ie the % of people who end up throwing it in the trash.

And the longer your goodies are kept, the more chance there will be that the person will “transfer” it to an acquaintance (and therefore your brand will reach a new consumer).

IMAGE: The criteria that count for all types of advertising goodies

The study lists 3 attributes to identify consumer expectations for promotional items: quality, functionality and design

The ASI study questioned its panel on the satisfaction attributes of each type of promotional object.

3 dimensions were explored in terms of final consumer satisfaction:

• Quality
• Functionality
• Design

Expectations that vary depending on the type of corporate goodies

The following graph shows the reasons that lead people to keep an object, for each type of goodie. The % correspond to the rate of individuals who answered that this criterion was important to make them want to keep the advertising item.

We note that for promotional items related to fashion, their design is what stands out more predominately.

For accessories and other everyday objects, quality and functionality appear to be the primary satisfaction criteria.

The “green” bonus of the environmentally friendly promotional item

Beyond these precise attributes of the object offered by the brand, other advantages can reinforce the impact of corporate goodies. This is the case of the mention “Environmentally friendly”.

Indeed, from an “ecological” point of view, 42% of respondents have a better regard for the brand if they know that the advertising object is respectful of the environment. This rate even rises to 58% for Generation Z, and decreases over the age groups.

STAND OUT: The corporate goodies people have the least in their homes

Looking for original goodie ideas? Start with what people don’t (yet) have

Who has never had a promotional pen in their hands? To tell the truth, everyone has one day held a personalized writing instrument in the colors of a company, a brand… It is certainly the most widespread promotional item in the world.

To differentiate themselves, brands are therefore looking for original goodies. It is therefore necessary to look at the corporate goodies that consumers “already have” in their drawers, and those with which they are least equipped to be able to create a surprise and arouse their interest.

The traditional advertising pen still embodies the common promotional object

• Unsurprisingly, we find that pens, t-shirts and bottles, glasses and other cups are the promotional items with which consumers are most equipped.
• Conversely, portable batteries to charge smartphones, umbrellas and USB keys are the goodies that we find the least in our cottages.

Inevitable risk-taking when you want to “stand out”

There is a double-edged sword in choosing an “original” and less widespread corporate goodie. Because if 89% of people have promotional pens at home, it is also because they find them useful and practical.

Conversely, it could be that people are less equipped with certain goodies because quite simply, they are not interesting for them. Thus, the brand that has chosen to offer USB keys for example rather than the traditional advertising pen, could suffer from a lack of interest from its target (and therefore from an ineffective advertising object from a marketing point of view)

And if you have to send your corporate goodies by post, how do you package them well?

Sometimes corporate goodies are hand-delivered. In other cases, such as during the holiday season, customer gifts can also be sent by post. Therefore, what packaging solution to maintain a good customer image, and ensure that the goodies will arrive in good condition at your customers? Follow these tips:

• Use a sturdy, appropriately sized gift box. Make sure there is enough room for additional protection such as bubble wrap or tissue paper. All these products are available on the Raja.fr website.
• Protect your goodies! A mug, for example, breaks so quickly… Use bubble wrap or tissue paper to protect your gift during transport. Wrap it carefully to prevent it from moving in the box.
• Seal the box tightly, taking care to use strong tape. The little extra that makes all the difference? Use extra tape to reinforce the corners and sides of the box.
• Label the box with the destination address and the return address. You can use an address label or write directly on the box with a permanent marker. Even if the first option seems more “professional”, entering the address by hand can intrigue the recipient even more (who will not confuse your package with an Amazon order)!
• In the event that your goodies have to cross borders and will be sent by air, remember that you may have to complete a customs declaration. Make sure you know the applicable regulations for parcels sent by air and complete the customs declaration if necessary.

By following these tips, your goodies should arrive in good condition at their destination. And of course, don’t forget to choose a reliable delivery service and track your package through to final delivery to make sure it arrives on time!

Data source & methodology

All data in this article is taken from the Advertising Specialty Institute ‘s Global Ad Impression Study, published in 2019.

The study is based on a survey conducted both online and in person on a sample of thousands of consumers in the United States, Canada, Mexico, France, Germany and England.