ROI of Promotional Products

Custom-branded products with your logo will provide you with the very best marketing Return on Investment (ROI). How do we know? Well, we did two pieces of research:

• We surveyed 100 Australians to see how merch stacks up against other advertising forms.
• We used data compiled by the industry bodies in Australia – APPA (Australian Promotional Products Association), as well as in North America – ASI (Advertising Specialty Institute)

The numbers we found tell a compelling story about why using merchandise to advertise outperforms other forms of advertising for brand recall, emotional connection, and measurable returns.

How Effective Are Promotional Products?

Research from the Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) shows promotional items outperform most traditional ads in recall and perception. In ASI’s 2023 Ad Impressions Study, 85% of consumers remembered the advertiser on a promotional product, compared to far lower recall rates for digital or print ads.

Cubic Promote’s own study found that 72% of Australians consider promotional products more effective than other forms of advertising.

Figure 1: Perceived effectiveness of promotional products vs. other advertising methods (Cubic Promote, 2025).

Longevity That Outlasts Campaign Cycles

Retention is one of the clearest indicators of ROI. According to ASI, the average promotional item is kept for nine months — giving brands repeated exposure at no extra cost. Our survey mirrored this trend. The chart below shows that over 60% of respondents kept their branded item for more than six months, reinforcing the idea that a one-time investment can yield months — even years — of brand visibility.

Figure 2: How long Australians keep branded merchandise (Cubic Promote, 2025).

Emotional Connection Drives Recall

Emotions play a decisive role in brand retention. From our survey research:

• 81% reported a more positive emotional response toward brands that gave them a valuable, high-quality item.
• 68% said receiving a product made them more likely to purchase from that brand in future.

This aligns with APPA’s findings, which highlight that promotional products build goodwill and strengthen loyalty — something few digital ads achieve2.

ROI by the Numbers

Metric ASI Study (2023) vs Cubic Promote Survey of 100 Everyday Aussies (2025)

Promotional Impact Study: Comparing Results

Why Merch Deliver Real ROI

Unlike fleeting impressions from online ads, branded items extend exposure every time they’re used — a coffee mug in the office, a tote bag at the market, a pen on a desk. Each touchpoint creates a subtle reminder of your brand, turning everyday actions into micro-moments of brand reinforcement.

As APPA notes, promotional merchandise delivers among the lowest cost-per-impression of any marketing channel2. Combined with their longevity and tactile nature, it’s no surprise that 83% of consumers in Cubic Promote’s study said they could recall the brand name unprompted from the last promotional item they received.

Tangible Marketing That Lasts

Cubic Promote’s findings reinforce what ASI and APPA have long documented — promotional products don’t just look good; they work. They generate measurable ROI through visibility, positive sentiment, and long-term recall.

So, if you’re measuring marketing ROI, think beyond clicks and impressions. Consider the coffee mug on your client’s desk or the tote bag your employees carry daily. Those items represent ongoing engagement — silent, steady, and powerfully effective.

Footnotes

1. Advertising Specialty Institute (2023). Ad Impressions Study. Retrieved from https://media.asicentral.com/resources/Ad_Impressions_2023.pdf and ASI Research Hub.
2. Australasian Promotional Products Association (APPA). Benefits of Promotional Products. Retrieved from https://www.appa.com.au/promotional-products/benefits-of-promotional-products.