Promotional merchandise is an effective way of making people aware of your brand. It creates a lasting impression in the minds of the recipients as to who you are as a brand. Promotional merchandise is products that come with a logo or slogan and are distributed at a minimal cost to promote a brand, event or corporate identity. Such products are often known by informal terms, like swag, freebies, or tchotchkes and are the creation of the marketing and sales teams.
The Effectiveness of Promotional Merchandise
According to the British Promotional Merchandise Association (BPMA), the key to successful promotional merchandise lies in four factors:
- Uniqueness
- Usability
- Personalisation
- Good quality
These will help to make a strong impression, act as a concrete reminder of your brand and give the receiver something to use over a long period of time. The following are some promotional merchandise ideas or corporate gifts that may help you make the right impression by taking care of the four main qualities mentioned above.
Promotional Tote Bags
In the present day, tote bags are becoming more and more useful and popular given the fact that most retail outlets make you pay for single-use plastic bags. These days many people can be seen sporting tote bags on the streets every day. This gives you the perfect opportunity to imprint your brand on them so that they are seen by shoppers and pedestrians on the local high street.
While designing promotional custom tote bags, it is best to use bright colors liberally. You should also make the bag durable and use bold, simple branding so that your company logo and name get highlighted and be visible from a distance.
Promotional Pens
Promotional pens are to branded notebooks what peas are to carrots, and are often presented as part of a set. However, a good promotional pen is not just a fancy writing tool with your brand name imprinted – it is designed to provide a satisfying writing experience. A popular choice is the classic banner pen which contains a pullout banner holding much more detail.
These banners are often used by businesses to convey information, such as their contact details, a calendar containing dates of key events or other information that they consider relevant for their customers to have handy at all times.
Promotional Sport Bottles
According to the NHS EatwellGuide, we should drink 6 to 8 glasses of water or other sugar-free fluids per day. A promotional sports bottle is thus ideal for many employees as it reminds them about staying hydrated while being also reminded of your brand.
Branded aluminum sports bottles are popular as they are hardy and long lasting and are well suited for both indoor and outdoor uses. It indirectly encourages people to go outdoors for staying fit, but at the same time remaining hydrated.
Promotional Key-rings
A key-ring is ubiquitous but you can make a stress toy out of one so that your customers can use them all day and not just while opening and closing doors. Key-ring stress toys are available in wide varieties, making them suitable for any brand.
They are a witty way of making your business stand out by making sure that your customers have your promotional merchandise by their side at all times.
Promotional Hoodies
Office wear ideas are changing fast and jeans and hoodies are making an impact. Many start-ups and global brands feel that office clothing should be comfortable.
This makes branded hoodies viable promotional merchandise as companies think that allowing employees to dress comfortably makes them more creative. You should make your hoodie colorful and attractive so that they draw attention in the office as well as outdoors.
Promotional USB Flash Drives
Data storage and security is a major concern and USB flash drives provide the quickest and safest means of transferring useful data.
For IT companies, therefore, a branded USB flash drive can serve as an effective means of communicating relevant names and contact numbers to their customers, who would know whom to contact in case of a problem. USB flash drives will definitely make for unique custom promotional merchandise.
Promotional Air Fresheners
While not an obvious choice, it has one key feature – it will probably hang from the rearview mirror of the recipient’s car. Thus they will be reminded of your brand every time they step inside their car.
Air fresheners can be cut out into any shape, for instance, your company’s logo, allowing you to choose the kind of message you wish to convey.
Promotional Golf Balls
You may be in the habit of taking important business decisions over a golf match. This is where promotional golf balls come in handy.
Simple but elegant, they serve as a great memento next time you meet a customer, supplier or key business partner over a game of golf. They bind a specific memory to your business deal.