Promotional products are physical items printed with a brand's logo or message – such as coolers, tote bags, hats, pens, mugs, and more. They are also called branded merchandise, promo items, or swag. In a world of digital ads, it is fair to ask whether they still work. For most businesses, the answer is yes, for three simple reasons.
1. They cost very little per impression
A billboard, radio spot or online ad is paid for every time it runs, and it stops working the moment the budget ends. A promotional product is paid for once and then keeps showing the logo every time it is used. A koozie that comes out at every weekend cookout for a summer, or a tote bag that goes to the grocery store every week, delivers hundreds of views for a cost of well under a dollar. Spread over its useful life, the cost per impression is very low.
2. People keep and use them
Unlike an ad that can be skipped or blocked, a useful product becomes part of someone's routine. The best performers are items people need anyway:
- Can coolers (koozies) – used at tailgates, barbecues, weddings, fishing trips and festivals, often by a whole group at once
- Tote bags – carried to stores, offices, gyms and beaches
- Hats – worn outdoors at eye level, all day
Every time the product is used, the brand is seen by the owner and by everyone around them.
3. They create goodwill
A free, useful item feels like a gift, and people tend to remember and feel better about the brand that gave it to them. That is hard to achieve with a banner ad. A well-chosen promotional product can turn a one-time contact at a trade show or event into someone who remembers the company months later.
What makes a promotional product work
- Usefulness – if it is not used, it is not seen.
- Fit with the audience – koozies for a brewery or outdoor brand, tote bags for a retail store or conference.
- Good decoration – a clean, readable logo printed with the right method (screen printing, sublimation, foil or heat transfer).
- Quality that lasts – a cooler that falls apart after one use reflects badly on the brand.
Why koozies are one of the best value items
Can coolers combine all four points: they are useful, cheap to produce, easy to print in full color and used in exactly the social settings brands want to be part of. That is why koozies are a staple for print shops, promotional distributors and wholesalers. Read our guide to foam vs neoprene can coolers to choose the right blank.
Sourcing promotional products in bulk
May Long Phu manufactures blank and custom-printed can coolers and koozies, tote bags and hats in our own factory in Vietnam, and supplies US importers, wholesalers and decorators in bulk and full-container loads. Email sales@maylongphu.com for a price list or request a sample.