Psychology of Promo
Welcome to our blog. How are you feeling today? Lie down on the couch and tell us about your experiences with promotional products.
Yes. Go on.
The psychology of promotional products is real. A variety of psychological principles make these tangible items effective in influencing consumer behavior, fostering positive brand associations, and causing you to crave carbs at 3 am. Well, two of those things anyway.
Let’s take a look at these principles:
Reciprocity: Remember in 5th grade, when you found out that one boy liked you so it made you like him back? Just us? The same goes for promotional products. That boy is a company that gave you a personalized tumbler and now you like him back. That tumbler fostered goodwill and positive associations with the brand, triggering a two-way relationship. The next thing you know, you want to engage with that boy, er brand, make purchases and become its advocate.
Tangible Connection: You know that feeling when you’re holding a taco? The adoration, the love you feel. That taco creates a tangible connection with you through your senses. The same is true for promotional products. When recipients physically interact with promo products, they reinforce their connection with the brand. You can’t do that with a billboard. (You could, but please just don’t.)
Brand Utility: If an item is useful, we’re going to reach for it more often. Like a coffee mug (every morning), a ¼ zip fleece (on a cold day), or a cat (when you need a floofy boi.) When branded items are integrated into their daily routines, recipients see your brand. A lot. And this visibility contributes to a positive association, reinforcing the brand’s presence and usefulness in their daily lives.
Emotional Connection: Remember that taco? And how it made you feel? (Taco vibes, anyone?) Promotional products, just like that taco, create an emotional connection through evoking positive feelings. Elements such as thoughtful design, nostalgic value or shared experiences foster positive associations and reinforce the consumer’s commitment to the brand.
Novelty and Surprise: Novelty and surprise. Great for promo products. For haircuts? Not so much. Uniqueness in the choice or design of promotional products sparks positive emotion, which increases the likelihood that individuals will share their experiences. This word-of-mouth marketing ensures that brands will stand out in a crowded market, leaving a lasting impact beyond the initial interaction with the product.
Sense of Ownership: When you own something you feel attached to it. You feel a connection with it. The tumbler in your cabinet, the backpack in your closet? By engaging with these products and integrating them into your daily life, you are reinforcing a lasting and meaningful connection with the brand. Which leads to a whole lotta brand impressions over the product’s lifetime. We’d like to see a TV ad try that.
Brand Recall: Physically interacting with a product creates a memory. That memory enhances brand recognition and reinforces brand recall. Just another reason why promotional products are such effective marketing tools. Every time a recipient drinks out of that branded tumbler? BAM. That’s brand exposure. That’s like a hundred million impressions if you’re drinking the required 64 gallons of water a day!
Perceived Value: When a recipient receives a gift, it increases the gift’s perceived value. (So, toothpaste for Christmas, it is!) The act of receiving a tangible gift creates a sense of appreciation and generosity, elevating the perceived value of the brand. If we have a favorable impression of a product, we will interact with it more. And that creates? Right. Brand impressions.
Social Proof and Identity: Social proof. Great for promotional products, not-so-great for that reel of your signature dance moves. When recipients showcase branded items as a form of endorsement, they contribute to the social proof, signaling the brand’s popularity and desirability. Which, in turn, builds a community and reinforces the brand’s influence. So, give them awesome stuff they’ll want to share.
Behavioral Conditioning: Behavioral conditioning happens when an individual is consistently exposed to a promo product and starts to drool. Well, they might. But they will also instinctively reach for that brand due to a positive association. This psychological condition influences purchasing decisions, fosters brand loyalty, and ensures that the brand becomes a preferred and habitual choice for the consumer.
Longevity and Durability: If something’s made well, it lasts longer, which means increased use by recipients. This holds true for promotional products. Those 99 cent tennis shoes from that one website? Not so much. The prolonged presence of durable products ensures consistent brand exposure, contributing to heightened brand recall and fostering a lasting connection with the consumer. ALL GOOD THINGS.
This concludes our session on the psychology of promotional products. We made a lot of progress today. You are ready to go out into the world and put these principles into practice. The knowledgeable and creative folks at Grapevine Designs can help! And we’ll see you next week to talk about why you continue to be obsessed with hamsters eating tiny food.