Branded merchandise keeps working long after the event is over. This post looks at the data behind promotional product longevity, lifetime impressions, and what it all means for your marketing budget.
You spend the budget. You hand out the merch. Then someone asks what it actually did, and you realise you can’t say for sure. So how effective is branded merchandise, really?
While a digital ad might only live for a few seconds on a screen, a branded jacket or bag can live on for years, delivering measurable ROI long after the event.
According to the ASI Global Ad Impressions Study 2026/2027 Edition, the average promotional product generates 3,300 impressions over its lifetime. At just six-tenths of a cent per impression, it is one of the most cost-effective forms of advertising you can buy.
What Do We Mean by Impressions in Branded Merch?
An impression is counted every time someone sees your brand on a product. That includes the person using it and everyone around them.
When ASI calculates lifetime impressions, they factor in three things: how long a product is kept, how often it is used, and how many people see it each time. A bag carried to the shops generates impressions from everyone who walks past. A jacket worn to work generates impressions from colleagues and commuters every day.
This is why branded merchandise works differently to most advertising. It does not interrupt someone for three seconds and disappear. It keeps showing up, quietly, in everyday life.
Promotional Merchandise ROI by the Numbers
Here is what the ASI 2026 data shows:
- The average promotional product generates 3,300 impressions over its lifetime
- The average cost per impression is just 6/10 of a cent
- 78% of consumers say they have a more favourable view of an advertiser after receiving a promotional item
- 76% say they are more likely to do business with that advertiser
6/10 of a cent per impression. That is the average cost of a branded merchandise impression, according to ASI’s 2026 Global Ad Impressions Study. Compare that to what you are spending on digital.
This isn’t about choosing merch over digital. It’s about knowing what each one gives you. And when it comes to keeping your brand in front of people for the long run, branded merch is hard to beat.
How Long Do People Actually Keep Branded Merch?
Retention varies a lot by product, and the numbers have a direct impact on how many impressions each item generates.
| Product | % kept 1+ year | Lifetime impressions |
|---|---|---|
| Fleece and jackets | 87% | 9,000 |
| Bags | 84% | 4,900 |
| T-shirts | 80% | 3,500 |
| Umbrellas | 50%+ kept 5+ years | 2,300 |
| Blankets | 50% kept 5+ years | 1,200 |
Source: ASI Global Ad Impressions Study, 2026/2027 Edition
Fleece and jackets sit at the top of the table with 9,000 impressions per item. That is because they are worn in public, worn often, and kept for a long time. Bags come in second at 4,900 impressions, partly because 92% of people use them at least once a month.
Branded blankets and umbrellas generate fewer impressions overall, but they are kept for five or more years by many people. That is a very long window of brand visibility for a single item.
The more useful a product is, and the more it gets used in public, the more impressions it generates.
Why “Useful” Is the Deciding Factor
According to the ASI study, 78% of consumers keep promotional products because they find them useful.
This matters when you choose what to give away. A product no one uses generates zero impressions. A product that gets used every day generates hundreds or thousands. If a product is useful, people keep it and use it. And every use is another impression.
The best promotional products are always the ones that fit naturally into how your audience lives and works. The right product for a trades company looks very different to the right product for a finance firm. Getting that fit right is where the real ROI comes from.
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How Does Branded Merch Compare to Other Types of Advertising?
The ASI study asked consumers about their opinion of several advertising formats. Branded merchandise came out on top.
75% of consumers have a positive opinion of promotional products. That figure is higher than TV, internet, mobile, and social media advertising combined in the same study.
You don’t need to ditch digital to make merch work. Digital is still the fastest way to reach a large audience quickly. But digital impressions are passive. Someone sees your ad, scrolls past, and most likely forgets it within the hour.
Branded merch works differently. The person chose to keep it. They use it. They see your logo on it repeatedly, sometimes for years. That kind of repeated exposure builds brand recall in a way that paid ads rarely do.
For brands that want both reach and recall, the smartest approach is to use both. Digital for awareness, merch for the long tail.
What This Means For Your Next Campaign
If you are planning a campaign, an event, a product launch, or an onboarding pack, here are three things worth keeping in mind.
1. Choose products people will use. Useful items get kept. Kept items generate impressions. Spending a bit more on something people keep beats saving money on something they toss straight away.
2. Think about where the product will be used. Items used in public, like bags, jackets, and caps, generate more impressions than items used at home or at a desk. If visibility is your goal, public use matters.
3. Factor in longevity when you calculate ROI. Most marketing budgets calculate cost per campaign. Branded merch works on a different timeline. A jacket given out at a conference in June could still be generating impressions in winter two years later. Most ad spend stops working the day you stop paying. Merch keeps going.
The Takeaway: Buy for the Long Run
Branded merchandise is worth the spend. When you pick the right product, it works like a long-term media placement that keeps delivering impressions long after the event is over, the campaign has wrapped, and the budget has moved on.
The average promotional item generates 3,300 impressions at less than a cent each. Some of the best-performing categories, like fleece, jackets, and bags, generate far more than that.
That is a strong return for something people actually want to keep.
Want merch that earns its keep? Book a call with our team and we’ll help you pick products that keep working long after the event.
FAQs
How effective is branded merchandise compared to digital ads?
Branded merchandise works on a longer timeline than digital. A digital ad reaches people fast but is gone in seconds. A promotional product keeps showing your brand every time it gets used, sometimes for years. The smartest approach is to use both. Digital for quick reach, merch for long-term recall.
How long do people keep promotional products?
It depends on the product. The ASI 2026 data shows 87% of people keep fleece and jackets for a year or more, and over half keep umbrellas and blankets for five years or more. The more useful the item, the longer it stays in use.
Which promotional products generate the most impressions?
Fleece and jackets lead the way with around 9,000 impressions over their lifetime, followed by bags at 4,900. These items win because they are worn or used in public, often, and for a long time.
Is branded merchandise worth the cost?
Yes, when you pick the right product. A quality item that people keep and use delivers impressions for months or years, which makes the cost per impression very low. A cheap item nobody uses delivers nothing. The value comes from choosing something useful.