Is branded merchandise really a media channel?

Yes. It delivers reach, built-in frequency, and measurable cost per impression, the same things you expect from any paid channel. The difference is that you own it: one buy keeps earning views for months, and in the ASI 2026 study Canadians ranked promotional products first across every advertising format.

How is merch different from advertising?

Advertising rents attention one impression at a time and stops when the budget stops. Branded merchandise buys a physical item once, and that item earns attention every time it is used because the person chose to keep it. The attention is given rather than interrupted, which is why recall runs far higher.

What is the cost per impression of branded merchandise versus digital?

Branded merchandise averages about $0.004 per impression in the ASI 2026 study, among the lowest of any medium. That is below typical digital display and well below television and LinkedIn advertising.

Does merch replace digital advertising?

No. Paid media delivers impressions quickly, which suits a launch or a deadline, while merch delivers them over months, which suits brand memory and loyalty. The strongest plans use both: paid media to create the moment and branded merchandise to make it last.

How do you measure merch as a media channel?

Count the impressions, which is the quantity multiplied by how many times each item is seen over its life, then divide the landed program cost by that number to get cost per impression. Track brand recall and reorder velocity as the outcome.

Which merch works best as a media channel?

Items with a long useful life and high public visibility, because they earn the most impressions per dollar. Branded outerwear and apparel lead, followed by bags and drinkware that get daily use.

Merch Is Media: Owned Media Channel

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The full branded range: cap, tote, tumbler, hoodie, notebook, socks.

Want this run properly?

Tell us what your merch is media programme looks like today and we will map what it should look like, and who does the work.

Talk to us about your program

Want this run properly?

Tell us what your merch is media programme looks like today and we will map what it should look like, and who does the work.

Talk to us about your program