| TV news stations in the USA, most notably CNN, | | | | exposure for a new product, service, company, or |
| spend millions on voter research, trying to determine | | | | campaign. Any visitor to kitchens in the majority of |
| which of the two Democratic candidates - Barack | | | | offices and factories throughout the UK will find they |
| Obama and Hilary Clinton - is likely to win the race for | | | | are stocked full of promotional mugs; step into the |
| their party's presidential nomination. But, they needn't | | | | office and they'll likely also find promotional pens |
| bother because one leading US retailer has come up | | | | galore. |
| with its own innovative and cheaper solution to work | | | | The beauty of such promotional items is that they |
| out which candidate is winning the country's hearts | | | | are resilient, and long lasting. Any campaign, message |
| and minds by counting mugs! | | | | or product details are there for all to see for months |
| Californian online merchandiser Cafe Press allows | | | | or even years. They can even be used as corporate |
| customers to upload their own designs to be placed | | | | gifts, delivering a marvellous double whammy: claimed |
| on personalised promotional items such as mugs, | | | | as advertising costs while at the same time |
| t-shirts, badges and car stickers. The San Matteo | | | | rewarding a company's best customers. |
| based company has simply counted up all such items | | | | As the race to the Whitehouse proves, advertisers |
| ordered relating to the presidential nomination race | | | | don't have to stick to mugs to deliver their message; |
| and concludes that Obama is winning by an | | | | t-shirts, car bumper stickers, badges and other items |
| extremely comfortable margin. | | | | can all be used to promote messages effectively and |
| Their figures reveal that Obama leads the race, | | | | cheaply when compared to other forms of |
| accounting for 69 per cent of their national | | | | advertising. |
| Democratic primary promotional item sales, against | | | | The most effective users of promotional items tap |
| Clinton's meagre 18 per cent. Of course, this way of | | | | into current trends, such as the widespread usage of |
| determining who is winning the presidential nomination | | | | travel mugs by drivers in the UK or perhaps the |
| race is even less scientific than the majority of the | | | | current fad for putting promotional messages on |
| exit polls conducted on behalf of the US news | | | | t-shirts that look like they've been designed by young |
| stations, but it does highlight the impact promotional | | | | children. Whatever is chosen, advertisers and |
| items have in advertising a variety of causes. | | | | campaign managers all agree that promotional items |
| The production of promotional items is a tried and | | | | are both impactful and useful, and a cost effective |
| tested way of gaining valuable and cost-effective | | | | way of getting your message across. |