The Tote Shop

Promotional Tote Bags

If it were the 1920’s, we would be calling promotional tote bags the “bee’s knees” of the promotional products industry. You can still call them the “bee’s knees,” but today most people will probably relate to such custom bags as being excellent means of promoting one’s brand. From the grocery store, to industry trade shows, to the runways in Paris, about everyone is using promotional tote bags these days to advertise their brand. And who can blame them? These totes are chic, durable, and most are even eco-friendly.

The Basics on Promotional Tote Bags

Promotional tote bags have been around for a while, but it was not until more recent years as the environmental movement finally made its way to the forefront of the fashion world that these bags reached the peak of their popularity. As reusable and fashionable alternatives to plastic and paper bags, I doubt they are going anywhere for a while - Especially not in terms of their marketing capabilities. We mentioned that promotional tote bags are reusable, which in the promotional products world translates to able to create multiple advertising impressions over and over again without any additional cost. In terms of strength and durability they definitely have plastic and paper bags beat. Many are made from materials such as non-woven polypropylene that looks and feel like cloth but is stronger. Plus it is more lightweight than other materials, which makes it easy to transport. And back to its marketing potential – promotional tote bags provide a huge imprint area to be customized with a company’s name, logo or whatever kitschy marketing slogan they want. One noted example of such a bag in the fashion world is Anya Hindmarch’s tote bag released in 2007 printed with the words, “I’m Not A Plastic Bag.” The limited edition bag was so popular that 30 people were sent to the hospital in Taiwan that year by a stampede of bag purchasers.

Promotional Tote Bags Equal Walking Billboards

So we said that promotional tote bags have a large imprint area, which is why they are often equated to being like billboards for one’s brand – well, walking billboards that is. According to a study conducted by the Advertising Specialties Institute, custom bags were reported to be used an average of 9 times each month. Based on the number of times these bags were used each month and the average number of people that came in contact with the user, they equaled 1,038 impressions each month. Aside from billboard advertising, there are no other advertising methods that can produce this much visibility for one’s brand at such a low-cost. Imagine the potential amount of impressions promotional tote bags can garner when given away at events like trade shows. As they are carried around by their recipients throughout the trade show hall, your brand can be easily viewed by other attendees as they pass by the user, and subsequently more people as they are used over and over again for a multitude of purposes.