produCt media

Don’t forget to put product media in your marketing mix

We all know the traditional advertising channels like radio, TV, Internet and press ads. The last few years, however, a new medium for advertising has confirmed its position – Product media.

Product media are all products you can put your logo or message on – with your choice of color and design – created to communicate your message, vision or brand.

Many people might still associate product media and promotional products just with pens and t-shirts with a logo on it, but this medium is so much more. If you succeed in choosing the right product for the message you want to convey, both visibility and the lifespan of the medium may have an immensely positive effect for you and your brand.

Why choose product media?

Creates relations
Creative
Long lifespan
Measurable
Low contact cost
Tangible
Value-generative

Advertising changes
The principal purpose of advertisement used to be to give information about a company’s field of business, their brand, services or message offered to the market. Nowadays, consumers will find this information on their own on the Internet, and the need for informative advertising decreases. We have a saying: ‘No one owns their own brand anymore’. What we mean by this, is that the consumer will seek out the information they wish to find, or find information from sources they personally believe to be credible. A company’s objective and profile should be reflected in both their visual expression, how they work, which media channels are being used, and last, but not least – which promotional products they choose.

Traditional advertising – no thanks
Nowadays, we pay to dodge traditional advertisement. We would rather pay for a subscription from a streaming provider than watch linear TV with commercial breaks. We put up stickers that say “no junk mail” on our mailbox, and filter junk mail from our e-mail inbox. However, we experience an increased demand for product media, as we speak. If we give away a product, we observe that the recipient says thank you, smiles and brings the product with them. This happens despite the fact that product media is a means of advertisement just like the traditional advertising channels.

Measuring the result of an investment is important. What do we get in turn for the investment we have made? A good way to measure this when it comes to product media, is view frequency. This will tell us about how many unique views your logo or message will have on average.

Here are some examples:
- Jacket 3500 views
- Cap 3000 views
- T-shirt 2000 views
- Pen 5000 views
- Bag 4000 views

Giving away products with a logo on it is actually the cheapest form of marketing according to Global Advertising Specialty Impressions study 2016 (including over 100 000 respondents).
A cap has a view frequency of 3000, this means if the cap cost you 3 EUR with a logo, the contact cost would be mere 0.001 EUR. No other advertising channel can compete with this.

88 per cent
This survey also found that respondents younger than 55 years preferred product media rather than any other types of advertising. By handing out products with your company’s or organization’s logo, there’s a great chance the recipient will remember you.

In fact, another survey conducted by Svensk bransjeforening for profil- og reklameprodukter showed that as much as 88 per cent remember who gave them a promotional product after 12 months.

High score
The same survey shows that 32 per cent use a promotional product every day, and 60 per cent use one every week or more often. In the same survey from 2016, 30 per cent answer that they are positively inclined towards product media. For comparison, only commercials in movie theaters have a higher score, 32 per cent. Store commercials, news paper advertisements, ads on boards outside, direct marketing, TV commercials, ads on the Internet, radio commercials and advertising by e-mail, all have a lower score.

Some things to keep in mind when ordering promotional products:

Remember your message! What would you like to communicate with the product you’re distributing? Putting a logo on a product is easy, but it’s important to keep in mind what you signal with the product you’re handing out. Perhaps your company or organization is engaged in caring for the environment? Choose an environmentally friendly product! Do you want to show the recipient that you’re considerate? Give away umbrellas or ponchos on a rainy day, or summer products on a hot summer day.
Relevance and target group! In order for your product to actually be used by the recipient, it’s essential to know your target group well. Who are they, what do they care about, and what is important to them? With the answers to these questions, together we will find a product that coincides with both your and their values.
Quality! If the objective of your brand is to display quality and strength, it’s necessary to consider the quality of the product you distribute. Buy cheap, buy twice. Show strength by choosing durable products that reflect who you are.