Field Notes Inside an Integrated Communications Agency

Email campaign or tote bag? Web site or ball cap? I don't know of any companies thinking about their marketing in these extremes but if a recently-released research report is to be believed, perhaps they should.

The study, not surprisingly from the Advertising Specialty Institute, claims that ad specialty items have the lowest cost per impression and as a result offer the best return on investment for marketers. Pens with logos on them are the best value, remembered by 54 percent of respondents. Hats are a high-frequency medium because they are worn over six times on average each month. Really?

I am not a cynic, but I have to wonder if this study came about after the pharmaceutical industry decided they would no longer supply physicians offices with branded pens, pads, shirts, golf tees, etc. Analysts report that this cut has cost the promotional industry billions.

Now don't get me wrong. I love my Capstrat fleece and some of the promotional items we've produced for Tobacco. Reality. Unfilitered. I'm just not ready to go a client and claim that exposure from a t-shirt is equal to the emotional or informational value of a well-crafted commercial or thoughtful Web experience.