Promotional product is any item imprinted item with a company name, logo, or other information like contact number, address, website you give out to get business prospects. It is also called promotional gifts, personalized items, customized items, advertising products, advertising specialties, events souvenir and corporate giveaways.

A promotional product is practically anything you can imagine. The objective is to establish recall so when the time comes that a customer needs your business, your name will be the one at the top of their minds. Commonly used promotional products are shirts, mugs, pens, caps, stickers, magnets, bags, key chains, calendars, and desktop items. New trends in promotional giveaway include technology-related gifts like flash drives, MP3 players, product combinations like 3-in-1 calculator, clock and calendar and the like. A promotional item is a product people use often, if not everyday, thus making your company name or logo visible to possible clients all the time.

Who uses promotional products?

Promotional products are effective marketing and advertising tool. Users of promotional products increase every year and boost an $18B industry sales for the year 2005 alone based on the Promotional Products Association International report.

Schools use customized items for souvenir shops, academic conventions, sports events, proms, and other scholastic and social activities. Politicians have used promotional items as campaign materials when running for public office. They put up banners and giveaway campaign shirts, pins, caps and visors. Professionals like lawyers, doctors, accountants use promotional items as giveaways to their clients.

Pharmaceutical companies utilize promotional products as a tool to promote their new products. Hotels and spas use promotional toiletries like bottled or sachet-packed shampoo, soap, lotion, towels among others. Restaurants use personalized napkins and disposable wares. Financial institutions and corporate businesses use promotional items as holiday gifts like padfolios, briefcases, desktop items and calendars.

Other clients purchase promotional items for personal use as giveaway for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, baby showers, house warming, family reunion and get together.

What are the most common used promotional products?

Based on the 2005 Sales Volume Study of the Promotional Products Association International released last June 2006, most of the promotional buyers purchase apparel. This category is composed of shirts, polo shirts, aprons, uniforms, blazers, caps, visors, hats, jackets, footwear and other wearables.

Another commonly used promotional product group based on the study is writing instrument category which include pens, pencils, markers, highlighters, and crayons. Calendars, drinkwares, and bags follow as best sellers respectively.