The 10 Most Iconic Promo Items in History

As far as the world knows, this tote bag is the first promotional product in history! Back in 1886, Jasper Meek was looking for a way to keep the printing presses running during the slow season. Since business was at a crawl, he used the technology to print customized tote bags for Cantwell Shoes, a popular store located on Main Street in Coshocton, Ohio. The shoe store handed these bags out to everyone who came through and made a purchase.

Source: Johnson Humrickhouse Museum, Coshocton, Ohio

The kids whose parents shopped at Cantwell Shoes started carrying these burlap bags to and from school. Meanwhile, adults in the neighborhood would see them and ask where they could get one of their own. The trend spread around the small town like wildfire, and soon enough, the line was out the door at Cantwell Shoes. It took only a few days for the store to completely run out of bags! Everyone was wearing both the free tote bags and the footwear they purchased - a big boost for the small business!

Tote bags were all the rage in Coshocton, but it took a savvy entrepreneur, and a good pint of brew, to really get promotional giveaways on the map. Leave it to Adolphus Busch, the bearded genius behind Anheuser-Busch, to make these items a major marketing strategy for growing businesses. In the late 19th century, Busch encouraged his company’s salesmen to go to taverns with not only samples of their drinks, but also promotional corkscrews featuring the company name.

Coca-Cola is arguably one of the most famous brands in the world, but that success didn’t happen overnight. The beverage was first sold in drugstores in 1886, around the same time the promotional products industry was in full swing. John Pemberton developed the drink in Atlanta, while his bookkeeper, Frank Robinson, focused on the advertising. Robinson came up with the name, Coca from the cocoa leaves and kola from the kola nuts used in the recipe. He also created the signature logo, designed from his own handwriting. In the next few years, that logo would start decorating the most recognizable promos in the world, including custom calendars.

Source: moas.org

Unfortunately, Pemberton died before he could see these marketing efforts in action, and the rights to his soft drink were handed over for only $2,300 to another pharmacist named Asa Candler. Under his guidance, Coca-Cola started being offered in bottles rather than just in the fountain, a packaging change that made it more available to consumers around the world. Candler also dedicated an $11,000 budget toward advertising, namely with promotional products. The first items with the Coca-Cola logo were calendars featuring young female models and famous celebrities like singer Hilda Clark. These were followed by lithographed metal trays in a bold red color, the most famous of which was the “Menu Girl” tray from 1953. Over time, the marketing efforts expanded to include other novelty items including: dolls, coolers, water bottles, playing cards, aprons, clocks, bottle openers, radios, buttons, bookmarks, t-shirts, and more. Candler provided retailers with this logoed merchandise to not only decorate their stores, but also give away to customers. It became trendy to collect Coca-Cola merchandise, a tradition that still stands today!

While flying on an airplane may not make you think of lunch, that didn’t stop National Airlines from promoting their brand with custom lunch boxes. In fact, many Pan Am air carriers used promotional products to bring more attention to their flights.

Pan Am got its start in Key West, Florida in 1927, and it didn’t take long for them to bring their branding to high altitudes. There was a big market for travel at the time, and as such, they reached a huge audience with promotional items like custom luggage, drinkware, backpacks, posters, apparel, and leather satchels. All of Pan Am’s logoed items were successful, but it was the lunch boxes and tote bags that generated the most buzz. The lunch box was created by the Ohio Art Company, a company that specialized in metal lithography. The tote bags, on the other hand, were given to first-class passengers during the airline’s golden years and became extremely trendy to wear. John F. Kennedy, The Beatles, and Judy Garland were even photographed with them on their shoulders! These promotional items put Pan Am on the map, making it one of the most recognized air carriers in the world. It was a lot better than complimentary peanuts and pillows!

Fast food restaurants, like every other business, need a recognizable way to stand apart from the competition. McDonald’s found their “it” factor by building a brand designed for kids in the 1960s. This included a tribe of mascots named Ronald McDonald, Mayor McCheese, Grimace, and the Hamburglar, all of whom made their debut in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Kids became so enamored with Ronald McDonald that 96% of them were more familiar with his name than that of the president in 1973. Sorry Nixon! While the mascots have since retired, McDonald’s still found success building a brand with their “action series” merchandise, which included toys, movies, video games, and most notably, promotional kitchenware like plates and glasses.

The way to generate interest and to keep people talking about your brand is to be willing to make changes. Starbucks, a coffee chain with over 40 years in the brewing business, knows that all too well. Not only do they constantly create new flavors of their signature coffee, but they’ve also been offering new designs and colors for their logoed travel mugs for over 20 years.

Starbucks first started offering travel mugs back in 1997 when graphic designer Sandy Nelson was hired to create a fun look for the holidays. Since then, the coffee chain has released a new travel mug every year for their popular holiday collection. These mugs are typically in their signature red, complete with cutesy details that are meant to make you feel warm and fuzzy. While the holidays are a good time for coffee, Starbucks also sells other custom travel mugs throughout the year. Their line has included mugs inspired by almost everything and anything, including Disney, Harry Potter, and Star Wars. They’ve even gone all over the map with exclusive travel mugs featuring landmarks from all 50 states. People look forward to the release of these new mugs, with the excitement building on social media and in pop culture. For example, people went crazy in 2016 over the release of eco-friendly $1 reusable cups featuring their classic white with green logo. Customers can bring in these mugs and receive a 10-cent discount on their coffee. It’s a win-win for both business and the environment.