Your home is already full of promotional products – you just don’t think about them like that. That pen you took from the bank? Promotional pen. That medal from that 10K that almost made it worth it? Promotional medal. That fleece with your company logo on it you wear to walk the dog? Promotional fleece – you get the point.
Lots of people and places use promotional products to advertise their brand, commemorate special events, or create a shared visual identity. If it’s all new to you, don’t worry – here’s promotional products 101.
What is a Promotional Item?
A promotional item is a generic item that’s been branded with a name, logo, or slogan – or all of these, and maybe some clipart too. The point is to advertise the brand to the recipient of the gift, and to everyone who sees them using the item. It’s the original influencer marketing!
Since companies want to get promotional items into people’s hands, they often hand them out for free – those pens at the bank – or as part of giveaways. For example, if you’ve ever won a pub trivia night and earned yourself a t-shirt from the beer brand sponsoring it, that was a promotional gift.
However, some companies actually manage to sell people promotional items. We’re talking about the t-shirts, caps, and many other forms of merch you can get from the likes of the Hard Rock Cafe, Coca-Cola, and Harley Davidson, but also the branded tote bags and mugs sold by small, local businesses. Having a cool brand just keeps on giving (or, rather, selling.)
Other Words for “Promotional Item”
As you’ve doubtless noticed by now, the phrase “promotional item” doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. Common synonyms you might have seen in the wild include:
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Swag
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Merch
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Company swag/Business swag/Promotional swag/Corporate swag
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Advertising giveaways/Branded giveaways
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Branded merch/Branded merchandise
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Promotional products/Promotional merchandise
Promotional Items in History
Promotional items are not new. They’ve been around since the first person who realized they could scratch the name of their club-making business into a rock. Er, probably? Here are some (more recent) examples.
Object: Wrigley’s gum
History: William Wrigley Jr. first found success marketing products with other products when he started giving away baking powder with the soap he was selling for his father’s soap company. He then started giving away gum with the baking powder–and eventually switched to selling the gum
Object: Matchbooks
History: Back before lighters became affordable, matchbooks were essential. The first person to recognize that cheap-to-produce matchbooks would make great promotional items was match salesman Henry C. Traute. In 1902, he convinced Pabst Blue Ribbon to place an order for 10 million branded matches.
Object: Baseball cards
History: Victorian merchants were really into printing small cards advertising their shops. So in 1869, sporting goods store Peck & Snyder printed a card featuring a photo of the soon-to-be-undefeated Cincinnati Red Stockings. They unwittingly created a whole separate market for cards featuring baseball players.
Object: IKEA bags
History: In 1986, IKEA introduced a bag customers could use to carry their items around in their stores. It was, of course, yellow! The blue bag (named FRAKTA which means “to freight” in Swedish) was quickly added to checkouts so customers could carry their purchases home, and staff could tell which items had been paid for.
Object: Star Wars figurines
History: In the mid-’70s, George Lucas had the groundbreaking idea to advertise his upcoming sci-fi movie, “Star Wars: A New Hope,” with a line of toys. Faced with lukewarm (ahem) enthusiasm, he finally convinced toymakers Kenner to make 3.75” action figures of the main characters. The movie proved so immediately and incredibly popular that Kenner was behind on production. They had to issue buyers with Early Bird Certificates they could eventually exchange for their toys.
What’s the Point of Promotional Products?
We’re a little offended by this question, but we suppose it’s a good one. As a human (we presume), you already know that people love free stuff. If you give people good quality free stuff with your brand on it, they’ll be very happy with you, which creates a positive association. Every time they look at it, they’ll be reminded of your brand. And other people they encounter will look at it and learn about your brand too.
Promotional products generate a lot of impressions compared to other types of advertising, because people see them every day. Even if they aren’t ready to buy from you when you hand them the swag bag, you’ll be on their mind when the right moment comes along.
Note that we said good quality. If you give someone something that breaks or that they don’t want, they won’t be very happy and they won’t keep it long enough to make a difference. So be strategic in your swag selection.
Is That a Promotional Product?
Pop quiz! No, this isn’t your recurring nightmare about suddenly being back in high school. We’re sure you’ll ace this one.
Meet the Best-selling Promotional Products
We love all our products equally – but you don’t! Here are the best-selling products every month for the last five years. Click each month at the top to see its top 10
Takeaways
If you’ve made it this far, we assume you have learned:
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What promotional products are
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Why they’re useful
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How to spot them in the wild
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Synonyms for promotional products
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Some historical examples
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The most popular promotional products in the last five years
In other words, you’re basically an expert. Good going!
Natasha Lavender
Natasha is an experienced writer and editor who has covered topics including technology, health and safety, business, and pop culture. Her work has been published by Good Housekeeping magazine, Forbes, Success, and more.
