Promotional products foster customer goodwill (positive attitudes and feelings) toward a company and its salespeople. This study, completed by Baylor University in 1992, involved a textbook publisher sending 4,000 educators either: (1) pocket calculator plus a letter, (2) a lower-priced highlighter pen plus a letter, or (3) a letter only.
Findings
Customers who received a promotional product expressed more good will toward the company and its salespeople than those who did not receive a promotional product.
The attitudes of those who received the calculator were consistently more positive than for those who received the less expensive highlighter pen.
Customers who received the pocket calculator or the highlighter pen rated the proficiency and ability of the sales representatives as 34% and 16% (respectively) higher than those who received only the thank you letter.
On questions relating to the customers’ personal feelings toward the company and its sales representatives, customers who received the calculator scored 52% higher than the letter only group.