Using Promotional Products to Spread Awareness for a Cause

Each October, schools, hospitals, businesses—small and large—and communities rally together in a band of pink to support breast cancer awareness. It’s this wave of color splashed throughout everyday products like T-shirts, stickers, and pens that helps spread awareness for a cause, keeping the sentiment integrated in our daily routines and activities via customized products.

Branded Impressions

In a 2017 study, communications researchers found that 92% of consumers said they had a more positive image of a company when it supported a social or environmental issue.¹ In a recent 2018 study, brand researchers found that 77% of consumers said they felt a stronger emotional connection to purpose-driven companies.²

From cause related marketing to spreading awareness for a cause, more and more organizations are aligning their brands with impactful campaigns that mean something to their audiences and their communities. But how do organizations become part of a larger movement at an affordable and effective price point?

Got a Pen?

Do you remember the last time someone asked you if they could borrow a pen? Chances are you were asked this very question in the last 72 hours. Pens are kept an average of 6 months, are typically used 3 to 4 times per day, and their cost per impression* (CPI) is less than one tenth of a penny in the United States.³

With a high everyday use and shareable value (a pen can have up to 7 owners in the course of its lifetime), pens are a popular and effective choice for spreading awareness and getting the message out.

A Case Study

In a recent case study, one hospital group benefited from using pens to market their fundraising event in support of breast cancer awareness. They required a cost-effective marketing approach that would appeal to all participants—the masses—regardless of age, income, and background. And since participants were required to physically sign up for the event, customized pens were an excellent choice.

• Spread awareness? Check.
• Build a social media campaign? Check.
• Grow event participation? Check.

Read how pens positively influenced Grant Healthcare’s marketing activities.

Download the case study >

^{References: 1. Cone Communications CSR Study, 2017. 2. Cone/Porter Novelli Purpose Study, 2018. 3. ASI Global Advertising Impressions Survey, 2016.}