Are promotional products a good value?

So, it's the end of the year and you are planning your 2009 marketing budget. Did the promotional products that you used in 2008 make an impact? Should you do more in 2009? A recent study by the Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) recently outlined the impact and cost per impression of promotional items with interesting results. The study included business/professionals that had received promotional items within the last 12 months and were all 21 or older. Here are a few of the results:
More than 84% of the respondents recalled the advertisers of the promotional items they had received. Furthermore, 42% of the respondents had a more favorable impression of the advertiser after receiving the item. Nearly 25% said they were more likely to do business with that advertiser. A whopping 62% of the respondents had done business with the advertiser after receiving the promotional item.
Not only do promotional products work, but they have staying power. According to the study, pens are the most recalled items, followed by shirts, caps and bags. 81% of the promotional items that were kept were kept because the recipient considered the item to be useful. More than three-quarters of those surveyed said that they had kept their promotional items for more than 6 months!
Bags were reported as the most often used promotional items with an average of 9 times a month. Which also delivers the most impressions with an average of 1,038 impressions per month. The average cost per impression of an ad specialty item is $0.004. Therefore, marketers get a much more favorable return on their investment from ad specialties than nearly any other popular advertising media.
For more information and details from this study, contact your Artina rep at 800.433.5587 or www.artina.com.

Shirts - cotton/poly v. cotton

So, it's time to get shirts for your staff. First you have to decide whether you want a woven shirt or a golf shirt. Once you decide that, then you have to choose between a cotton/poly blend and a 100% cotton shirt. How do you decide? Which is better?
Overall, the cotton/poly blend shirts are more popular when it comes to corporate apparel. The blended items feature an enhanced level of durability that can lengthen the life of a garment by as much as three times. Polyester can also withstand high-temperature laundering, which makes the blends hold their color longer. Cotton/poly blends also have a stain release feature and they are often wrinkle-free.
So, in short cotton/polyester blends are a logical choice when it comes to corporate apparel. They last longer, wash better and wear more easily than 100% cotton shirts.
Check out www.artina.com for options or get in touch with your Artina rep at 800.433.5587.