Promotional products cannot be blocked but online advertising can and is. In fact, the blocking of ads on websites is growing and, according to The Guardian, more than 150 million people now block online ads. I am one of them. I use AdBlock in Google Chrome and block ads on most websites I visit.
Yet, I allow the ads on Google because the ads are useful. When I’m searching, Google ads are helpful to identifying possible solutions to my search. Google has found the key to having ads be useful without being intrusive. But on nearly every other site, including Facebook, the advertisements are not displayed, and I enjoy a better experience.
Even ads that are not blocked by ad blockers are tuned out by users who have trained themselves to filter out ads. On the other hand, promotional products are not easily tuned out. We know this intuitively, and it is backed up by a PPAI study that indicates that 88 percent of respondents recalled the name of the advertiser on a promotional product received in the last year.
Promotional products, like ads on Google, are useful so people engage with promotional products and are exposed to the advertiser on every use.
One statistic from the PPAI study reminds us that promotional products too can be blocked since 1 in 5 people trash a non-wanted promotional product. So 20 percent of the advertising via promotional products is blocked. I believe 20 percent is probably blocked due to giving the wrong products to the wrong people. Fortunately, that can be reduced with good planning by the promotional products consultant. Fortunately, in nearly any situation, promotional products are incredibly effective at least 80 percent of the time.
Finally, when you are targeting the right prospect or buyer with the right product, the exposure is incredibly valuable. According to PPAI, 53 percent of consumers use a promotional item at least once a week.” Thus, a promotional product generates consistent and repeat exposure to the exact target market a business wants to reach.
In summary, here are the three reasons promotional products are better than online advertising:
- Promotional products cannot be blocked.
- People engage with promotional products and are exposed to the advertiser on every use.
- Promotional products generate consistent and repeat exposure.
I love online advertising and we use online advertising in our business. It is an important part of the marketing mix, just like promotional products are an important part of the advertising mix.
One final thought. According to the article, I’m a bad person for blocking ads and thought to be stealing from publishers. I say, “Hogwash.” Make your ads useful and I won’t block them. The same goes for promotional products. Give me something useful and I won’t throw it away.
Geiger CIO Dale Denham, MAS+ provides practical insights on how you can benefit from technology in no nonsense terms. Follow him on Twitter @GeigerCIO.
