What Were the Most Effective Promotional Products for 2018?

Did you know that most people keep promotional products for an average of eight months?

That means your promotional item is going to advertise your brand during that whole time. This is a great outcome for you since you’ve taken the steps to develop your brand.

Of course, the most effective promotional products are going to have longer staying power, and some will have more than others.

Whatever the case, it’s still going to be a lot longer and less irritating than a PPC ad or pop-up on a website.

Plus, these products are tangible. People are far more likely to remember things they can touch, feel and use. They’ll probably pass these items along to others who will use them too.

What Are the Most Effective Promotional Products?

Not all promotional items are equal.

Some promotional products will be higher quality than others. Those that are useful tend to be more effective.

What is useful? Is there any value to items that are simply entertaining? We’ll take a look at some of the branded promotional items that were most popular in 2018.

1. Quality Drink Ware

Now that the whole world is all about staying hydrated, water bottles and travel mugs are everywhere. It’s not enough to grab a drinking vessel and slap your brand on it, though.

People have heightened expectations from these mugs and bottles. They want the level of quality they can find with brands like Yeti and S’well. Promotional items need to meet those standards.

Nobody wants a cheap mug that only keeps your drink hot for 20 minutes, or a water bottle loaded with BPA. And if you’ve put your brand on a subpar product, people will associate your product with low quality.

But what if you don’t quite have the budget for something as high quality as Yeti? Don’t worry. There are many similar products with the same features and level of quality. Many of the same companies that produce the name brand items make your branded products as well.

If premium, retail-branded promotional products aren’t in your budget, never fear. There are plenty of “lookalike” products with almost the exact same features and level of quality you’re looking for.

2. Food

Food obviously doesn’t have the staying power of something like the above mug or water bottle.

Most people aren’t going to keep the branded wrapper to your cupcake, granola bar or snack chips. Even if you make the chips in the shape of your logo, they’re still headed for destruction.

But people love to eat. They REALLY love to get free food. It’s a sensory that’s connected with memory. That’s why time and time again, using food as a promotional giveaway has proven to be quite successful.

3. Health and Wellness Products

As more companies see the value of promoting a healthy lifestyle, they’re choosing products to help recipients on their journey toward wellness.

Some of the more popular items in 2018 included:

• Clip-on Pedometer
• Lip Balm and SPF Sunstick
• Hot and Cold Gel Pack
• Gel Sanitizer
• First-Aid Kit
• Reflective Arm Band
• Exercise Body Band

You can leverage the popularity of this market in 2019 by using the current health and wellness product trends as giveaways. It will put your brand in a positive light.

4. Items That Appeal to Millennials

When striving to reach key decision-makers in 2018, marketers had to keep in mind that millennials have surpassed Gen Xers and Baby Boomers as the largest generation in the U.S. labor force. To some extent, promotional items need to appeal to them.

For example, there’s a focus on the almighty smartphone. So you could provide something functional like a cell phone fan that will keep phones from overheating, especially in warmer locations.

Another option would be a solar phone charger. Not only does this address the smart phone issue, but it also taps into green technology, which is very popular. These chargers are both friendly to your phone and to the environment.

Then there’s the fidget spinner.

Yes, these were huge in 2017. But in 2018 they did not go out of style. They may not seem useful, but they continue to offer the easily distracted a solution to a short attention span by offering constant engagement.

5. Products That Pay Attention to Design Trends

This is another aspect that was important in 2018. Especially, again, among the millennials. When you get right down to it, a product that pays attention to design is going to be higher quality.

What was trending in 2018?

There was a move away from sleek and sterile to warmth and texture. That meant veering away from hard materials to softer ones like cork and wood. Cork is durable and eco-friendly. And wood adds an organic quality. Products that utilized their materials were popular.

In the world of metals, stainless steel has replaced copper. It has a warmer look while remaining chic and yet timeless.

Shine replaced the refined and elegant look of a matte finish. Bright and bold colors have replaced the various shades of grey that were previously popular.

Of course, these trends are guideposts. You should feel free to mix and match these different elements.

For example, you could offer a mug that has both silver and copper or some bronze. You could also provide a useful tote bag that’s brightly colored on one side but subdued on the other.

Are You Considering the Ideal Promotional Giveaway?

We’ve given you a lot to think about here. Remember that whatever route you choose, you want your most effective promotional products to be memorable.

The same is true for your website.

You want your potential customers to come to your site and to stay there. This might start by offering some promotional items, but it ultimately comes down to effective web development. For more information on this, keep checking with our blog on monetizing your website.

Let the promotions begin!