Somewhere in most offices there’s a drawer full of branded pens that don’t write, stress balls nobody squeezes and USB sticks with 128MB of storage. Every one of those items cost somebody money and did almost nothing for their brand. Branded merchandise can do better than that.
It can work well. A good item gets used for months or years, sits in view of the person you want to remember you, and occasionally gets noticed by people around them. But that only happens if the item is genuinely useful or desirable, and if the branding doesn’t make people embarrassed to use it.
With summer events and the autumn trade show season approaching, here’s how to get it right.
Start with the purpose, not the catalogue
Promotional product catalogues are designed to make everything look like a good idea. Before you open one, answer three questions.
- Who is it for? Existing clients, prospects at an event, staff, or the general public? A thank-you gift for a long-standing client is a very different thing from a giveaway on an exhibition stand.
- What should it achieve? Keep you in mind between purchases, say thank you, make your team look like a team, or start a conversation at an event?
- Where will it be used? On a desk, in a van, on site, in the kitchen, at the gym? Items that live where your customer works or spends time keep you visible.
The answers usually rule out most of the catalogue straight away.
Choose branded merchandise people actually want
The test is simple: would someone buy this for themselves, or would they be glad to receive it without the logo on? If not, the logo won’t rescue it.
Items that tend to get kept share a few qualities:
- Useful often. Things used daily or weekly beat novelties used once.
- Good quality. A cheap item that breaks quickly reflects badly on you. It’s usually better to give fewer, better things.
- Relevant. Something connected to your work or your customer’s work makes the association stick. A garden maintenance firm’s branded gardening gloves make more sense than a branded mouse mat.
- Not cluttering. Many people are trying to own less. Consumable or genuinely practical items often go down better than objects that just take up space.
If nobody would choose the item without your logo on it, adding your logo won’t make them keep it.
Design it so people will use it in public
Here’s where plenty of good items get ruined. A giant logo and a full contact block turn a nice water bottle or tote bag into a walking advert, and most people won’t carry that around.
- Go smaller and subtler. A neat logo, a tone-on-tone print or an embroidered symbol looks deliberate and more premium.
- Use your brand, not just your logo. Brand colours, a pattern from your identity or a witty line in your tone of voice can be more appealing than a logo slapped in the middle.
- Skip the phone number on most items. People don’t search their tote bag for a plumber’s number. Brand recognition is the goal.
- Check the decoration method. Embroidery, screen printing, engraving and digital printing each handle detail and colour differently. Your logo may need a simplified version for some methods.
Staff clothing is merchandise too
Workwear and team clothing are often the most-seen branded items a business has. They’re worth doing properly: comfortable garments in sensible colours, with the logo reproduced accurately. People who like wearing their uniform tend to wear it well. Ask staff for input on fit and fabric, especially for anyone working outdoors or on their feet all day.
Hand it out with some thought
How an item reaches someone matters as much as what it is.
- At events, consider giving better items to people you’ve actually spoken to, rather than leaving a bowl of freebies for anyone passing.
- For clients, a well-chosen item with a handwritten note after a project or at the end of the year means more than a box of generic goods.
- Order sensible quantities. Boxes of leftover stock quietly going out of date after a rebrand are a waste.
A quick checklist before you order
- Is the item useful, good quality and relevant to the recipient?
- Would they use it in front of others?
- Does the design reflect your brand properly, with accurate colours and a suitable logo version?
- Have you seen a physical sample or proof?
- Do you have a plan for who gets it and how?
If you’d like help choosing items and designing them so they look good rather than promotional, our merchandise design team can create artwork suited to each decoration method, and our branded merchandise service can source and produce it.
