Figures on this page come from the ASI 2026 Global Advertising Impressions Study
Willwerth Promotions runs branded merchandise programs for enterprise teams across Canada and into the US
Updated July 2026
Promotional products ROI is the return a company earns on branded merchandise, measured as cost per impression: the total program cost divided by the number of times people see the branded item over its life.
Because a useful item is kept and used for months, its cost per impression runs far below most paid media. The ASI 2026 study puts branded merchandise at about $0.004 per impression, with 85% of recipients able to recall the brand.
Promotional products ROI calculator
Enter your program numbers. Everything is editable, and nothing is sent anywhere, the math runs in your browser.
A fleece or jacket earns about 9,000 impressions over its life. The dropdown sets the ASI figure for each item so you do not have to guess.
At $2.00 per 1,000 impressions, this program is priced below typical digital display and well below LinkedIn advertising.
Impressions per item are lifetime category figures from the ASI Global Advertising Impressions Study. Research provided by the Advertising Specialty Institute, 2026.
Branded merchandise is a media channel
Branded merchandise is a channel in its own right, and it belongs in the media mix next to digital, broadcast, and out-of-home. Judge it on the same yardstick you use for the rest: cost per 1,000 impressions.
Merch sits at the low end because one useful item keeps working for months instead of disappearing after a single view.
| Channel | Typical cost per 1,000 impressions |
|---|---|
| Branded merchandise | About $4 (ASI 2026, at $0.004 per impression) |
| Google Display ads | Roughly $3 to $10 (industry range) |
| Television | Roughly $20 to $30 (industry range) |
| LinkedIn advertising | Roughly $30 to $40 (industry range) |
The branded merchandise figure is from the ASI 2026 study. The other channels are commonly cited industry averages and vary by targeting, format, and market; treat them as reference points, not quotes.
What counts as an impression
An impression is one view of your branded item by one person. A jacket worn to the office, the gym, and the grocery run earns impressions from everyone who sees it, every day, for as long as it is worn.
That is why apparel and outerwear earn thousands of impressions over their life while a single-use handout earns far fewer.
Impressions count total views one item generates before it is retired, not how many people receive it, so a jacket worn for two years far outruns a pen used up in a month.
The ASI 2026 study measures this by category, from 9,000 impressions for a fleece or jacket down to a few hundred for a magnet or USB drive.
You do not need to know the number: the item dropdown in the calculator carries the ASI figure for each category and fills it in for you.
A worked example
Order 500 branded jackets at $40 each and expect each to earn 9,000 impressions over its life. That is $20,000 spent for 4,500,000 impressions, or $0.0044 per impression, about $4.44 per 1,000.
Run the same 500 units as $12 event tote bags seen roughly 1,500 times each and you spend $6,000 for 750,000 impressions, or $0.008 per impression.
Both beat most paid media on cost per impression, and the calculator above lets you test your own item, quantity, and lifespan in seconds.
How to measure promotional products ROI
1. Count the impressions
Multiply the quantity by how many times each item is seen over its life. Apparel and outerwear earn the most because they are worn in public for years. Desk and drinkware items earn steady daily impressions in the office.
2. Divide by the real cost
Use the landed program cost, including decoration, warehousing, and shipping, not just the catalogue unit price. Total cost divided by total impressions is your cost per impression, the number you compare against every other channel.
3. Track recall and reorders
Recall is the payoff impressions buy, and the ASI study puts it at 85% for promotional items. The other signal is reorder velocity: a program teams keep asking to restock is one that is working, and it tells you where to put the next budget.
Frequently asked questions
Not seeing your situation? Tell us how yours runs today and we will answer against it.
What is a good ROI on promotional products?
The clearest measure is cost per impression, and branded merchandise averages about $0.004 per impression in the ASI 2026 study, among the lowest of any medium.
A program priced below the cost per impression of your paid channels, while adding 85% brand recall, is delivering a strong return.
Are promotional products worth it for a marketing budget?
Yes, when they are treated as a media channel rather than a giveaway.
A useful branded item is kept and used, so it earns thousands of impressions per unit at a fraction of the cost per impression of digital or broadcast advertising, and it carries recall that most paid media cannot match.
How do you calculate cost per impression on branded merchandise?
Divide the total landed program cost by the total number of impressions the items will earn over their life. Total impressions are the quantity multiplied by the impressions per item.
The calculator on this page runs that math for you and shows the cost per impression and CPM.
Which promotional products give the best ROI?
Items with a long useful life and high public visibility earn the most impressions per dollar. Branded outerwear and apparel lead because they are worn for years, followed by bags and drinkware that get daily use.
Willwerth Promotions helps match the item to the program so the return holds up.
How long do promotional products keep earning impressions?
As long as the item is used. Apparel and outerwear are worn for years, drinkware and bags get daily use, and desk items stay in view in the office.
The ASI 2026 study reports 9,000+ impressions for a branded outerwear item over its lifetime, which is why longer-life items carry the best cost per impression.
Do promotional products beat digital advertising on cost?
On cost per impression, usually yes. Branded merchandise averages about $0.004 per impression in the ASI 2026 study, below the typical cost per impression of digital display and far below LinkedIn advertising.
The trade-off is timing: paid advertising delivers its impressions in days, while merch delivers them over months, so many programs use both together.
Build a program with the numbers on your side
Tell us your audience, quantities, and budget. We will come back with a program built to earn impressions and a clear cost per impression you can defend to finance.
The full branded range: cap, tote, tumbler, hoodie, notebook, socks.
Keep reading
Why promotional products work, the full case »
Merch is media, the case for branded merch as a channel »
Branded merchandise vs digital advertising »
Branded gift boxes being kitted in the warehouse before they ship.
Want this run properly?
Tell us what your promotional products roi programme looks like today and we will map what it should look like, and who does the work.
Talk to us about your program