Promotional merchandise – how to choose for a given budget

First work out the amount per person

Most merchandise enquiries open with 'what do you recommend?'. We answer with a question: how many people and what budget. Without that it is hard to advise, because the same budget means something entirely different for 50 recipients and for 1,000.

1. Decide how many you will really hand out. Add a few per cent for new staff, lost parcels and people you remember at the last minute.
2. Divide the budget by that number. That is your amount per item.
3. Deduct packaging and postage if the item is going to clients by post.
4. Only then start browsing products.

Example: €700 net for 150 conference delegates is €4.70 per person. You can give one decent item, e.g. a logo bottle (from approx. €3.05) and a pen (from approx. €0.35) – approx. €3.40 each, approx. €510 in total. Or a set: an A5 notebook (from approx. €1.85), a pen and a cotton bag (from approx. €2.10) – approx. €4.30 per person, approx. €645 in total.

What you get for a given amount – indicative prices

Prices are for the quantity in the price list. At smaller quantities the unit price rises, because setting up the branding costs the same for 50 pieces as for 500. At larger quantities it falls. Full multi-colour print instead of one colour also changes the price – we quote it once we have your logo.

What works, and what ends up in a drawer

Talking to clients over the years shows a simple pattern: the merchandise that lasts longest is used every day and is not embarrassing to be seen with.

What works:

• mugs and flasks – they sit on the desk, where the owner and every visitor sees the logo,
• bottles – especially at sports events and in companies with field staff,
• cotton bags – carried for shopping, so the logo walks round town,
• power banks – expensive, but they stay with the recipient for years; good for key clients,
• notebooks and pens – for training sessions and conferences where people genuinely take notes.

What does less well: cheap keyrings with no function, bottom-of-the-range electronics that break within a week, and anything with a logo covering half the product. People happily use something where the brand is visible but not shouting.

Branding: print, engraving or full colour

The same item can cost noticeably different amounts depending on how it is branded.

• 1-colour print – the cheapest, and it looks good when the logo is simple. The colour is matched to Pantone, but on a coloured body it will always come out a little differently than on white paper.
• Laser engraving – on metal, wood and some plastics. It will not wear off or fade, and it looks smart. The drawback is no colour – engraving takes the shade of the material.
• Full colour – when the logo has tonal transitions or a photo. More expensive, but sometimes the only way to do the brand justice.

The most common mistake is a logo that is too small or too thin. On a pen the print area is a few centimetres long, so long company names with a small strapline underneath become illegible. Better to use just the brand mark or the web address. Branding needs a vector file – if you do not have one, see why printers ask for a vector logo.

Lead times and ordering – what to remember

Lead times for merchandise depend on product availability and the branding technique, so we give them in every quote. Before a conference, trade show or year end, ask well in advance – a few weeks in hand gives you freedom of choice, while a rush narrows the offer to whatever happens to be in stock.

In your enquiry, tell us: the quantity, the budget per item, the occasion (conference, client gift, sports event), the date the merchandise must be on site, and attach your logo. On that basis we will propose two or three options within budget. If items are going to many addresses, we can pack and dispatch them; more in our guide to gift sets for staff and clients.

The full range is on the office and writing merchandise and branded mugs, bottles and flasks pages.