As I mentioned in my last post, a new study by the Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) on advertising calendars has proved that this venerable advertising medium is far from dead. In fact, it’s thriving. To paraphrase Mark Twain, the news of its death is premature — and maybe even completely out of the question.
I’ll admit I’ve transitioned from using a daily paper planner to just storing my appointments in Outlook (I like the pop-up and audible reminders). But I still use my wall and pocket calendars in much the same way as the people in the survey seem to. When I want to quickly check a date, I don’t want the bother of having to open a window on my computer; I just look at the wall or my pocket calendar. I should also mention that a lot of people still don’t completely trust electronic devices because of power outages or battery drains.
Many of the people in the survey also preferred a printed diary or daily planner because they like making notes and keeping track of things in print. Despite the ubiquity of computers and mobile devices, Post-Its show no signs of going away.
As insurance marketers, it’s useful to consider just how popular print calendars are as advertising and promotional tools. Here are some more results from the PPAI studies:
- 79% of respondents said they enjoy receiving complimentary calendars; only six percent said they would not keep a free advertising calendar.
- 76% of respondents reported that at least one of the calendars they have at work is an advertising calendar.
- 75.3% of advertising calendar recipients recalled the name of the advertiser and slightly more (77.3%) remembered the product or service.
- About the same number of people (77.6%) plan to do business with the calendar advertiser in the future.
Given how pervasive the wall calendar is in the home and office environments, it seems that most people still rely largely, some even exclusively, on at least one print calendar, and they’re quite positive about the companies that advertise with them.
The financial services industry seems to think so too. When asked to name the companies that gave them their calendars, 39% of the study respondents said insurance agencies! Only banks and financial institutions scored slightly higher, at 42%.
So what’s the take away from all this? You’d have to say that calendars are an effective promotional product and advertising medium that
- Aids recall in branding and products
- Adds value as a “gift”
- Elicits referrals
- Promotes repeat business
- Shows loyalty and implies endorsement of the advertiser
- Conveys a message
- Builds brand recognition.
Smart’s is pleased to partner with Direct Effect in bringing our clients a wide range of custom calendars. You can view a selection of our calendars if you click here
Or give us call and we will send you a brochure showing our selection of calendars: 1-866-762-7879
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