A marketing firm should know what its target audience wants, right? Of course! And promo items for college students should be no different. Now, we’re going to share with you exactly what you should be providing college students to keep your brand top-of-mind.
For this article, The Black Sheep surveyed over 200 college students about what promotional items they receive, what they like, and whether they’d keep an item they received. Now, we’re confident that if you use one of the four items below, you’ll be ahead of your competitors when it comes to reaching this key demographic.
Best Buy: Totes
If The Black Sheep is recommending a single promotional item to our clients, it’s a tote bag. Coming in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors (and usually about $1 per unit), we can find a tote to suit your brand. Even better, the large surface area allows for a large logo, so when they’re being used, people know where a student got it from.
Even better, students want totes, too! 47% ranked a tote as a top-third item, with over 60% noting they would keep the tote for 2 months. And, with only 4% of our survey respondents having received a tote, you can stand out in the marketplace (until others catch on, of course!)
Most Wanted: Portable Chargers
Given the on-the-go lifestyle and digital obsession of the modern college student, It’s no surprise that portable chargers topped the list of items students want. 50% of our survey-takers had this ranked as their first- or second-most desired item, with 67% noting they would use it for the next 2 months.
Good news is if you want to make a recurring impact in the physical world, The Black Sheep has your back. We can provide these on a timeline and price point to get your promo out in the market in a matter of weeks.
A Certain Crowd: Shot Glass
A shot glass may not be in line with your brand image, but a willingness to provide them as a promo item can give you an advantage over your peers. At its price point (less than $1), a shot glass was the best-reviewed item among the college demo, with over 50% listing it as a top-4 item, and 60% noting they would keep it over 2 months.
Furthermore, of our respondents, only 1 received a shot glass as a promotional item. If you want to stand out for not-too-much money, this is the item for you.
Snacks, If You Must: Cookies
We do not recommend snack giveaways as part of a promotional experience. Most importantly, they lack any sort of recurring branding, as, well, they get eaten, so bye-bye brand recognition. Second, our data suggest they’re just not in demand. In fact, none of the snacks we offered in our survey (chips, candy, cookies) had more than 30% of our survey-takers select it as a top-4 item.
Snacks can be helpful if you need a promo item quickly. If you must use snacks in your promotional giveaway, our data shows cookies or packs of cookies outperform other snacks.
Interested in better promo items for college students? The Black Sheep is here to help! Simply contact us and we can get you a quote within 3 business days!