We all know about the importance of frequency in advertising. The more times an ad is seen, the more likely the audience is to recall the advertiser’s message. There’s another factor to consider, however – duration. The greater the amount of time a person invests in your message, the better your chance to have an enduring impact on the recipient.

Interactive products work magic when it comes to extending the time an audience devotes to your promotional pitch. Truly effective advertising items stimulate visually, tactilely and cognitively, keeping a person’s attention through participation.

What makes a product interactive? Here are a few options:

Curiosity – Scratch-off cards and slide guides are a great way to tap into the human desire to reveal an answer. Other choices are thermo- or light-sensitive products that show a hidden message when exposed to heat or light.

Challenge – Twist cubes, puzzles or similar games stir the competitive spirit of recipients. Encourage people to participate by teasing that a message with benefit (such as discount or prize) will be disclosed when they successfully complete the task.

Wonder – Kaleidoscopes and bubble blowers are fun examples of products that persuade recipients to slow down and appreciate simple beauty and childlike pleasure.

Technology – Folks love functional gadgets. There are many that offer simple, elegant audio-visual presentations. Try, for example, a pen that also projects custom images from an eight-frame slide via an LED light. The frames could outline your brand benefits or illustrate instructions. Other pens have embedded voice recorders that allow you to give a 10-second audio pitch. The recipient can then use the pen to record his/her own personal reminders.

All of these approaches have one thing in common: they require the recipient to interact with the gift you’ve given them. Rather than a few seconds of exposure you’ve potentially increased involvement to span for minutes. Now that’s advertising that works!