Promotional items have been used by companies for several centuries. Yes – you read correctly. The physical promotional gift is a proven marketing tool that works best. But what makes promotional products so effective to this day? How does the psychology of giving work? And how do you make sure you get the maximum impact out of your promotional or employee gift? We explain it to you in this post.

How does the psychology of giving work?

Before we explain to you exactly how promotional products work, it’s important to know some basics about the psychology of gift giving. Gifts have always been an essential part of our society and they even serve an evolutionary purpose (cf. Süddeutsche Zeitung). Giving helps people connect and build community. You can apply the same to your business.

Gift-giving has an exciting economic effect in addition to strengthened bonds (or customer loyalty). A basic principle of moral behavior (cf. Spektrum.de) namely shows that people help those people from whom they themselves have experienced help. So if you give your customer a gift, he or she is more likely to reciprocate your gesture, for example, by making a purchase from you. In this context, one also speaks of the reciprocity principle. This is a psychological principle that is deeply rooted in human beings. You probably know the everyday situation: When your work colleague pays you for a Coke, you automatically feel the need to make up for the nice gesture or give her something back.

How do promotional items work?

Apart from the fact that you naturally please your target group with gifts and gain sympathy points, promotional items have a different effect than other marketing measures. Thanks to their haptic properties, they are the only marketing instrument that appeals to several senses at the same time (cf. IFH Cologne). This ensures that your message is processed more quickly by the target group and stored more easily, so that your brand is remembered more strongly.

This effect is further enhanced if your target group uses your promotional item regularly in everyday life, for example. As a result, they come into contact with your brand again and again, building a psychological bond with your company.

Why are promotional products more important than ever in the digital age?

You probably know it too: no matter where you look, you’ll find advertising posters, banners and advertising screens everywhere. We are also literally inundated with advertising on the web and on social media (cf. Wirtschaftswoche). For your company, this means enormous competitive pressure and a constant battle for the attention of your target group.

This is exactly where physical promotional items can make the difference. Unlike an ad on Instagram, you can touch a promotional product and use it in real life. This is how you manage to stand out from the mass of advertising messages and draw attention to your company.

5 Twing Tips: How to get the most out of your promotional products

If you want to attract the attention of your target group, the promotional item you use should naturally put your company in the best light. Here you will find 5 valuable tips on how to do this successfully.

1. choose a product that fits your brand and values

The promotional item used should convey your brand message or brand promise in an authentic way. So, for example, if you position yourself as a sustainable company, you should also use an environmentally friendly product.

2. pay attention to the quality and long service life

The quality of the promotional article automatically transfers to your company – for better or for worse. So be sure to choose a high quality product. Here it is important to note: An inferior promotional item will do more harm to your business than good. In addition, you achieve greater brand awareness the longer the life (and thus the use) of the product.

3. provide a practical benefit for your target group

A gift should bring joy to the recipient. You achieve this by ensuring that your target group perceives the promotional item as practical and can actually use it in everyday life. Useless or inappropriate promotional gifts (“the main thing is to give something as a gift”) are not advisable in any case.

4. adapt the design of the advertising material to your brand identity

A promotional product will bring you more if it can be clearly traced back to your company. So for optimal brand recognition, the finished product should not only be useful and qualitative, but also in line with your corporate design. At least, the logo should be printed or engraved in a suitable form.

5. care for the wow effect

Is the quality right? Is the product useful to your target audience? Does the promotional or employee gift fit your brand? Then the only thing missing is the icing on the cake: The wow effect. You can achieve this, for example, with a particularly unusual product idea. But it can also be a useful everyday product that is simply beautifully and richly detailed in your corporate colors.

If the wow effect is given, you have a very good chance of getting the most out of your promotional item. Your brand is directly associated with positive feelings of joy and surprise and thus stored in the memory. This has a lasting effect on positive image building and a positive return on investment on your advertising product is the result.

Give joy with Twing

Whether you already have a number of product ideas running through your head or you are still at a loss as to the right advertising medium for your company – Twing will be happy to advise you on the way to your individual promotional gift. Just send us a non-binding inquiry or call us now. We are very happy to hear from you.

PS: Feel free to ask us for free samples of your desired product. 😉