- Promotional products like pens, notebooks and mugs remain popular desk items, while USBs and mouse mats are gaining popularity. - Over 90% of respondents had at least one promotional product on their desk. - Product usefulness, quality and price are top priorities for buyers, but quality issues remain a frustration for many. - Personal recommendations and relationships with suppliers are important factors in selection, more so than price alone. - The majority of companies spend £5,000 or less annually on promotional products, with an increasing demand for personalization.

2. Research conducted at Marketing Week Live 2017 and B2B Marketing
Expo
200 qualified face to face and online interviews with professional
buyers of promotional products

3. What kind of people
were a part of our
research?
Marketing Manager
Managing Director Digital Marketers
Senior Comms
Manager
Media Co-ordinator
Campaign Manager
Graphic Design
Assistant
IT Support
Journalist
Student recruitment
Marketing
Assistant Business Development
Manager
Global customer
experience manager
CEO
Sales Associate
Solicitor
Asset Management
IT Consultant
Communications
assistant
Head of design
Office Manager
Training Manager
Exhibition
officer

4. 56%33%
3%
8%
Upto £5k
£5k-£20k
£20k-£50k
£50k+
‘What is your approximate annual
spend on promotional
merchandise?’
‘What is your company turnover?’
28%
13%
3%20%
28%
8%
Upto £250k
£250k-£500k
£500k-£1m
£1m-£5m
£5m-£20m
£20m+

5. ‘Where are you most likely to look for a new
promotional merchandise supplier?’
36.7%
37.4%
25.9% Google
Personal
Recommendation
Trade show or event
*data based on respondents ranking these options

6. 3.19
3.31
3.65 3.67 3.69 3.70
3.85 3.94 4.00 4.09
4.23
‘How do you prioritise these factors when buying
promotional merchandise?’ (rate out of 5)
Respondents viewed
product usefulness,
price and relevance
to campaign as top
priorities when
buying promotional
products

7. ‘What qualities
make the perfect
promotional
gift?’*
50%
11%
11%
8%
9%
11%
Usefulness
Personalisation
Unique
High Quality
Audience
Dependent
Long Lasting
*respondents could provide more than one answer

8. Sales Incentive
Customer
Recognition
Employee
Engagement
Trade Show
Giveaway
66.5% of respondents
use promotional
merchandise for trade
shows
52% of respondents
use promotional
merchandise for
customer recognition
37% of respondents use
promotional merchandise
as sales incentives
27% of respondents use
promotional merchandise
for employee engagement
*respondents could provide more than one answer
‘How does your
company use
promotional
merchandise?’*

9. More
than 4
More
than 2
More
than 1
None
‘How many promotional
products are on your desk
right now?’
11%
92%
81%
44%
Nearly half of
people have more
than 4
promotional
products on their
desk
*respondents could provide more than one answer

10. 66% of
people have a
branded pen
on their desk
right now!
43% of
people have
a branded
notebook
Most common promotional
desk items
20% of
people have a
branded mug
on their desk
Over 17% of
people are using
promotional
mouse mats and
coasters
*respondents could provide more than one answer

11. The pen continues to be the most popular branded desk item.
Notebooks and mugs continue to be common promotional
products on desks, whilst mouse mats and coasters have risen in
popularity.

12. Happy
47.1%
Appreciated
79.4%
Impressed
20.6%
Special 5.9%
‘How do you feel when you
receive a promotional gift?’*
Promotional
products are a great
way to improve
customer and
business relations
*respondents could provide more than one answer

13. Promo Product %
Pen 12.4%
Bag 8.7%
Charger 7.0%
Flask 1.6%
USB Stick 11.4%
Mug 8.7%
Toy 1.6%
Trolley Token 3.2%
Confectionery 2.2%
Bottle 3.2%
Notebook 4.3%
Key ring 1.6%
Speakers 1.6%
Phone Stand 2.2%
Clothing 3.2%
‘What do you
consider to be
the
most effective
promo product
you have bought
or received?’*
12.4%
8.7%
7.0%
11.4%
8.7%
3.2%
3.2%
4.3%
3.2%
Pen Bag Charger USB stick Mug Trolley token Bottle Notebook Clothing
*respondents could provide more than one answer

14. 32%
35%
35%
47%
76%Desk Items
Confectionery
Clothing
Electronics
Other
‘What promotional
products does your
business currently
buy?’*
*respondents could provide more than one answer

15. ‘What item would
you say makes the
perfect promotional
gift?’*
Pens, Food/Drink
and Mugs were
voted the best items
for the perfect
promotional gift
Pen Food/Drink Mug Charger Clothing Notebook USB Diary Tech Mobile
Phone
Accessories
Mouse Mat
18.3%
17.4%
14.4%
6.0% 5.8%
4.8% 4.6%
3.8% 3.8% 3.8%
2.9%
*respondents could provide more than one answer

16. ‘What is your biggest
frustration when buying
promotional merchandise?’
45%
16% 12% 10% 9% 8%
Poor
quality
Pricing Lead
times CommunicationService
Lack of
creativity
*respondents could provide more than one answer

17. “cheap tat”
“pushy sales”
“not receiving
the right
information”
Communication
Pricing
“Vague
quotes that
don’t include
all the costs”
“Websites which
don’t show guide
prices for products”
Quality
“the company
forgot to
contact me”
“bombarded
with emails”
“cheap
products
that break”
“products
looking cheap
or tacky”

18. Previous research conducted by the BPMA has suggested that in the eyes of marketers, a quality
promotional product that is memorable is the key to success. Is this more of a challenge about
customer expectation, ie good things cost money ? Also in 2014 marketers told us that 70% had
been unhappy about a promotional product or print quality, and of those spending £100k a year it
was 80%
Quality - 81%
Memorable - 71%
Relevance - 69%
Usefulness - 65%
Long desk life - 31%
What makes a successful promotional product 2014

19. Branded water and
confectionery
important as
exhibition takeaways

20. Good service
30%
Price/discounts
9%
Good/friendly
relationship
16%
Quality
13%
Communication
11%
Creativity
4%
Reliability
7%
Easy to use
10%
‘Why do you continue to use
your regular promotional
merchandise supplier?’*
Whilst quality and price
are the biggest frustrations
when buying pm, they are
also key reasons people
continue to use a
particular supplier
*respondents could provide more than one answer

21. Personalisation
making an
increasing impact

22. Summary
• Promotional products still as popular as ever
• Traditional favourites like USBs and mousemats still required with the pen still leading the way
• Over 90% surveyed have at least one promotional product on their desk
• Product usefulness still prevails as the premier reason for selection
• Marketers see good customer service and great relationships more important than price
• Personal recommendation is seen as an important way to find new suppliers, explaining the
growth in ratings websites.
• Over half those surveyed spend £5,000 or less a year, 8% spending over £50,000 per annum
• Product quality is still seen as a major issue of customer perceptions
• Increasing desire for individual personalisation

23. • The BPMA (British Promotional Merchandise Association) is the
official trade association of the promotional merchandise industry.
• Our aims are to product the use and value of promotional products
whilst supporting a professional supply chain.
• www.bpma.co.uk/