I thought I write this morning about low cost promotional items as opposed to value for money promotional merchandise? There's a subtle difference in wording but an enourmous difference in meaning.

Don't get us wrong. We have lots and lots of budget promotional merchandise. Things that cost less than a bag of chips. Cheap Pens, Cheap promotional keyrings, cheap mousemats, cheap branded stubby coolers and the list goes on. Pretty much all our categories of custom branded products have a low cost option.

However, unless your budget is really really tight we dont recommend these items? Why? Well its money down the drain really. You will get more marketing value with a quality item. The trick is to select marketing merchandise which fits your budget but importantly is value for money. Let me illustrate some examples below based on experience:

Cheap Plastic Pen: Disposed of all left at the back of a draw quickly
Quality Plastic Pen: Hung on to and may even be the pen of choice for daily use

Cheap Printed MouseMat: Lasts for 3 months before being disposed of.
Quality Printed MouseMat: Lasts for an entire year and a half

Cheap Promotional Umbrella: Lasts for 3-6 months before its replaced by an umbrella from another company which is better or is destroyed with a strong gust of wind.
Quality Promotional Umbrella: Lasts for 3 years and is the umbrella of choice for the user.

Cheap Promotional Cap: Worn once at the event and never worn again.
Quality Promotional Cap: Worn once at the event and 2nd weekend for the next year or two.

I can go on and on here with physical examples of how promotional merchandise purchasing decisions based on price alone leads to pretty much money down the drain. Obviously we can't all purchase premium quality products for all our potential clients but we can buy value! Our products represent the best value at all price points, however a 0.15 cent pen will never compare well to a $1.00 pen. A value product is a worthwhile purchase and it's something to think about when shopping for promotional products.