From the Editor
ROI at Your Fingertips

It’s no secret that in an economy like this one, marketers are under the gun to prove the return on investment of everything they do. In a recent focus group Successful Promotions held with a group of readers in New York, several asked us the same thing: “How can you help me prove to my boss that promotional products work?” Successful Promotions magazine has provided anecdotal evidence on the value of promotional products for years. In every issue, you’ll find great case studies from marketers who have been able to boost sales, find new customers, build buzz and retain employees, all by strategically using logoed items. But hard data? That’s something that’s not as easy to come by. Until now.

Over the summer, a research team from ASI, the publisher of Successful Promotions, hit the streets to interview more than 600 businesspeople across America to find out how promotional products influence their purchasing decisions. The results of this country-wide effort were pretty eye-opening. If you think, for instance, that people don’t hold on to the logoed items they get from you, you’re dead wrong. Not only do most keep them, but many of them hold onto them for an average of seven months. That’s seven months that your brand is front and center in the minds of a customer or prospect. Another surprise: Promotional products deliver a better Cost Per Impression than nearly any other advertising media. That’s right, marketers can get more bang for their buck using logoed products than by advertising on TV, radio or in print.

Want to hear more? Turn to page 28 for the full story. It just may change your mind about how you want to allocate your marketing and advertising dollars for 2009.

Enjoy the issue.

Melinda Ligos
mligos@asicentral.com.