Articles: promotional gifts

One question decides the fate of a promotional gift: will anyone use it. An item somebody reaches for daily keeps a company in mind for years, while one left in a drawer does nothing at all. These articles circle around getting into the first group.

What makes a gift stay

Three things come up again and again: usefulness, material and the way the logo is applied. A plastic trinket wears out sooner than metal or wood, and print that survives handling lasts longer than a sticker. Matching the person matters too - somebody working outdoors and somebody at a desk want different things. A simple test helps: if the same object arrived with no logo on it, would you take it home.

• Daily use - a memory stick, a keyring or a pen comes back to hand far more often than a shelf ornament.
• Material - metal, wood and solid plastic survive life in a pocket.
• The marking - a small logo in one spot looks better than print across the whole surface.
• Packaging - a printed box turns a small item into a present.
• One good thing - a single decent object beats a bag of freebies.

Gifts with something inside

A separate thread covers presents where the content matters more than the object. A disc of carols for business partners, a quiet music selection prepared for a salon and its clients, or a recording made for a company anniversary - a sleeve carrying your logo keeps that kind of gift on a shelf far longer than a calendar. The articles also walk through preparing such a disc step by step.

If you are planning gifts for the end of the year, start by asking what your customers actually use at work. Choose the model, the material and the marking after that - decisions come much easier in this order.