# Clever Promotional Ideas / Thingys



## brian.mobile (16 Feb 2006)

Hi,

Just racking my brains for cheapish ways to promote a business.

We've all got the pens. Wouldnt a beer bottle open er be handier?

Or a pack of branded paying cards?

Any cute ideas out there? What have you received in the past?

BM


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## ClubMan (16 Feb 2006)

Have you considered ironing boards imprinted with your company's logo?


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## Purple (17 Feb 2006)

I think you have a bit of a thing for ironing boards ClubMan...


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## ClubMan (17 Feb 2006)

Yeah - it's a pity they defaced that one with your woman really.


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## Purple (17 Feb 2006)

ClubMan said:
			
		

> Yeah - it's a pity they defaced that one with your woman really.


 How did you know she's my woman? (please don't tell my wife!!

Anyway, to answer the original question:
I have seen: 
Tension balls (squeeze to relieve tension) in the shape of a brain and an American Football.
Brushes for cleaning Keyboards.
Radios
LED torches
Plastic Bull-clips
Puzzles
key-ring tape-measures.
...that's all I can think of but you should just ring a promotions company of Google for same.


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## Mister H (17 Feb 2006)

Just got a nice 256MB USB key on a training course.


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## Capaill (17 Feb 2006)

Best I saw were small radio controlled cars


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## Yendor (17 Feb 2006)

Post-its with your company's logo


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## ClubMan (17 Feb 2006)

brian.mobile said:
			
		

> Or a pack of branded paying cards?


Depends on what you could use them to pay for.


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## Carpenter (17 Feb 2006)

In the past I've also received (good quality) stainless steel flasks (emblazoned with company logo), scale rulers, utility tool, CD wallet with multiple pockets/ sleeves...


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## brian.mobile (18 Feb 2006)

All nice ideas. I'd be thinking cheap and handy stuff.

I'm veering twoards lighters and bottle openers. But the former and latter are dwindling in popularity.

Hmm


What else does everyone use daily....

BM


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## noddy (18 Feb 2006)

What type of business are we talking about, whats the age group of your target audience.


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## CGorman (18 Feb 2006)

Mister H said:
			
		

> Just got a nice 256MB USB key on a training course.



I think USB Keys would make a fantastic impression - they are very cheap, very useful and very simple. At Christmas Google sent a USB key to many of it's top AdSense publishers; from what I read online, the promotion worked extremely well.


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## SarahMc (19 Feb 2006)

I got a keyring with a trolley token for the supermarket and always use it.


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## ivorystraws (19 Feb 2006)

Yea, I wouldn't mind gettin my hands on one of them keyring trolley tokens alright... extremely handy. I wonder if a business were to provide them as a promotional gimmick, where would the best place be to source them?


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## CCOVICH (19 Feb 2006)

You could contact www.pigsback.com (someone from Pigsback contributed to AAM recently-do a search) as I got one of these trolley thingys from them.

Liklely to have limited appeal to most men I would have thought, but anyway........(I am a man by the way, but actually do my fair share of the grocery shopping in our household)


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## RainyDay (19 Feb 2006)

brian.mobile said:
			
		

> I'm veering twoards lighters and bottle openers. But the former and latter are dwindling in popularity.


As only 23% of the population smoke, I can't see that a lighter would be well received.


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## ClubMan (19 Feb 2006)

I'm a non smoker but use a cigarette lighter to light candles, fires etc.


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## Purple (20 Feb 2006)

CGorman said:
			
		

> I think USB Keys would make a fantastic impression - they are very cheap, very useful and very simple. At Christmas Google sent a USB key to many of it's top AdSense publishers; from what I read online, the promotion worked extremely well.


USB stick promos are about €12-€15 for the cheapest, based on buying 100. If you want fancy printing (anything other than mono colour) you can ad €2-3 each. €1500+ for 100 handouts is not cheap. Nice pens are about €1.2 each for 500. It's all about whom you are giving them to and how much you are willing to spend.

I have been told that rulers are a good bet as well as they stay on people’s desks for longer.


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## Lauren (20 Feb 2006)

When I lived in Oz, I had a small fish tank with a Japanese fighting fish delivered as a promo from HP/Compaq who were launching a small form PC. It was the wackiest promo gift I had ever received. The tank was small and the link with the pc was related to the size and then the fish was supposed to represent the power of the processor....We kept the fish as the team fish and ended up having to give it away as the team were spending too much time cleaning the tank, feeding the fish etc....I think I'd prefer a pen...


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## ClubMan (20 Feb 2006)

ivorystraws said:
			
		

> Yea, I wouldn't mind gettin my hands on one of them keyring trolley tokens alright... extremely handy. I wonder if a business were to provide them as a promotional gimmick, where would the best place be to source them?


A shopping trolly token? Why not just give your customers a €1 or €2 coin? I would be cheaper than the _USB _drives mentioned above by a long shot.


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## CCOVICH (20 Feb 2006)

ClubMan said:
			
		

> A shopping trolly token? Why not just give your customers a €1 or €2 coin? I would be cheaper than the _USB _drives mentioned above by a long shot.



But would they remember where they got it?????


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## ClubMan (20 Feb 2006)

Rename the company to "1 euro" or "2 euro" if necessary (with apologies to _Viz _for effectively nicking their _Toblerone _joke...)!


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## CCOVICH (20 Feb 2006)

ClubMan said:
			
		

> Rename the company to "1 euro" or "2 euro" if necessary (with apologies to _Viz _for effectively nicking their _Toblerone _joke...)!



Sounds cheap .


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## CGorman (20 Feb 2006)

Purple said:
			
		

> €1500+ for 100 handouts is not cheap....It's all about whom you are giving them to and how much you are willing to spend.



It's all relative, they are definitely much dearer than pens or rulers, but are on par and even cheaper than other things such as MP3 players, [broken link removed], alarm clocks etc. (theres an unbelieveably array of things out their).

But as you said it is the person you are handing them out to that matters... top corporate clients or students walking down Henry street...


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## brian.mobile (20 Feb 2006)

SarahMc said:
			
		

> I got a keyring with a trolley token for the supermarket and always use it.


 
Now were talking!! That's the kind of useful thing I'm thinking of. Dead handy and useful

Shopper 1 - 99: 'Wow....Where dja get that from?'
Shopper 2: 'Got it from Daz' 

Free advertising! Perfect

I'm in the clothing business....come on, I think were on the right track!

BM


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## ClubMan (21 Feb 2006)

brian.mobile said:
			
		

> I'm in the clothing business....come on, I think were on the right track!


Free clothes?


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## brian.mobile (21 Feb 2006)

Yea, free clothes for the first one hundred naked people to call to my office!

lol

No, need something a little safer....sewing kit? No. 

BM


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## Icarus (21 Feb 2006)

ClubMan said:
			
		

> Rename the company to "1 euro" or "2 euro" if necessary (with apologies to _Viz _for effectively nicking their _Toblerone _joke...)!



I think someone might want a word with you if you do that! Namely the chain of discount shops prosaically called "2 Euro Shop".


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## ClubMan (21 Feb 2006)

brian.mobile said:
			
		

> Yea, free clothes for the firts one hundred naked people to call to my office!


What's your address so? I'm not interested in the free clothes but I could do with a thrill at the moment.


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## brian.mobile (21 Feb 2006)

ClubMan said:
			
		

> What's your address so? I'm not interested in the free clothes but I could do with a thrill at the moment.


 
All will be revealed... ;-)

BM


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## pricilla (22 Feb 2006)

Fridge Magnets!!
We got one from an oil company years ago and it's still on the fridge, so it worked.


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## Audrey (22 Feb 2006)

CGorman said:
			
		

> I think USB Keys would make a fantastic impression - they are very cheap, very useful and very simple. At Christmas Google sent a USB key to many of it's top AdSense publishers; from what I read online, the promotion worked extremely well.


. Pardon my ignorance - what's a USB Key?


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## Lorz (22 Feb 2006)

Check out [broken link removed]

We've used them in the past - they're very reasonable and they offer free samples.  Quite like the metal keyrings - and conversion mouse pads - nobody can ever confirm the conversion rates!


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## brian.mobile (22 Feb 2006)

pricilla said:
			
		

> Fridge Magnets!!
> We got one from an oil company years ago and it's still on the fridge, so it worked.


 
Was it a calendar? Must gave been a useful thing though?

To have it up so long.

BM


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## CGorman (22 Feb 2006)

Andrewa said:
			
		

> . Pardon my ignorance - what's a USB Key?



Its a tiny device for storing things on easily - you can store any type of computer file. Heres an article on them.


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