How can you shore up your company's brand reputation among business travelers? Give 'em free stuff. A recent poll of 280 randomly selected business travelers at Chicago's O'Hare and Dallas/Fort Worth International airports revealed that 72 percent of those accosted had, in their possession, at least one promo product imprinted with a company name, tag line or logo. What's more, a cool 73 percent of those surveyed were able to recall the corporate name or message imprinted on the item. Keytags, pens, calculators, notepads, jackets, pocket mirrors and other pieces of apparel topped the list of evidence.
According to the poll, conducted by the Promotional Products Association (PPAI), 41 percent of respondents said they usually keep promo items for at least two years. Another 35 percent reported hoarding the items for 7-12 months. But wait, there's more:
- 72% of respondents said they'd received a 1999 promo product donning a Web address.
- 26% said they'd received items featuring millennium themes.
- 66% cited pens, pencils and highlighters as their favorite freebies, followed by wearables (60%), glassware/ceramics (50%), and business accessories/calendars (33%). (Multiple responses were allowed.)
How can you reach elusive, corporate jet-setters to ask them mundane questions about keychains and notepads? Get 'em while they're bored - waiting in airport terminals for their flights to begin boarding. (312/644-4409, www.promotion-clinic.ppa.org)