By Withers & Co | Branded Merchandise Specialists | New Zealand & Australia
Let’s be honest. We’ve all been handed a branded pen at a trade show, shoved it in a bag, and never seen it again. Or received a stress ball shaped like a company logo that ended up as a dog toy within 48 hours.
Promotional merchandise only works when people actually keep it. And the difference between something that lives on a desk for three years versus something that hits the bin on the way out the door comes down to one thing: useability.
Here’s our honest breakdown of what gets kept, what gets binned, and what you should actually be ordering.
The Keepers: Branded Merchandise People Hold Onto
1. Drinkware
This is the undisputed king of promotional merchandise, and for good reason. A quality reusable coffee cup or drink bottle gets used multiple times a day, every day. That’s hundreds of brand impressions per week from a single item.
The key word is “quality”. A flimsy bottle that leaks or a cup that makes coffee taste like plastic gets binned fast. Invest in something people are proud to carry think double-walled stainless steel, good lids, solid branding and it’ll be on someone’s desk or in their gym bag for years.
Our take: Drinkware consistently delivers the best cost-per-impression of any promotional product. If you’re only doing one thing, do this.
2. Bags
A branded tote bag or backpack is a walking billboard. Unlike most promo items, bags get used in public at the supermarket, at the gym, on the commute which multiplies your brand exposure massively.
Canvas totes have had a moment for years now and show no signs of slowing down. They’re practical, they align with sustainability values, and a well-designed one becomes someone’s go-to shopping bag. Cooler bags are also performing really well especially for summer events and food/beverage brands.
What gets binned: Cheap non-woven polypropylene bags. They look promotional from a mile away and people know it.
3. Apparel (When It’s Actually Wearable)
Branded t-shirts, hoodies, and polo shirts are either your best performer or your worst it entirely depends on whether the item is something people would actually wear without the logo on it.
Generic corporate polos in a colour nobody would choose for themselves? Bin. A well-cut tee in a flattering fit with subtle, tasteful branding? People wear those for years.
The same goes for beanies and caps. Headwear is one of the highest-retention categories in promo merchandise a quality beanie or a well-structured cap with clean embroidery gets worn regularly, especially through winter or at outdoor events.
Our take: Don’t default to the cheapest apparel option. A smaller order of something people genuinely want to wear beats a big order of something they don’t.
4. Tech Accessories
Powerbanks, wireless chargers, earbuds, and Bluetooth speakers are premium-tier promotional products and they earn their place. Anyone who’s been saved by a powerbank when their phone was dying at 3% knows exactly how much goodwill a brand earns in that moment.
Tech products come with a caveat though: quality matters even more here than with other categories. A wireless charger that doesn’t actually charge reliably reflects directly on your brand. Go with quality over the cheapest option you can find.
5. Notebooks & Stationery
In an increasingly digital world, a quality notebook is a surprisingly strong performer. People who use notebooks use them obsessively and a well-made one with a nice cover will sit on a desk in plain sight for months.
The qualifier here is “quality”. Think soft-touch covers, good paper weight, proper binding. Not the 50-cent lined pad.
The Bin Brigade: What Doesn’t Survive
Cheap pens. We know, we know everyone orders pens. And some pens do get used. But the generic plastic biro that runs out of ink within a week? Gone. If you’re going to do pens, do metal pens or something with genuine quality. Otherwise, save the budget.
Stress balls and novelty shapes. Fun for about thirty seconds. Then they live under a desk, get kicked around, and disappear. If you’re going for fun and memorable, games and activity-based items tend to have much better longevity.
Lanyards (on their own). Lanyards are a necessary event item, but they don’t go home with people. They’re functional for the duration of a conference and then done. Use them but don’t rely on them as your primary brand touchpoint.
Low-quality branded apparel. A t-shirt that shrinks the first wash, or a polo that feels scratchy, actively damages brand perception. Worse than not giving anything at all.
The Rule We Tell Every Client
Before you order anything, ask yourself: *“If this had no logo on it, would I still want it?”*
If the answer is yes, you’re probably onto a winner. If the answer is no, reconsider.
The best promotional merchandise is stuff that earns its place in someone’s life and your brand goes along for the ride. A quality drink bottle your recipient uses every morning is worth infinitely more than 500 items that end up in landfill.
What’s Right For Your Campaign?
Every campaign is different. The right product for a winter conference in Queenstown is different from a summer festival activation in Adelaide. The right gift for a CEO is different from a staff onboarding kit for graduates.
That’s where we come in. We’ve been sourcing and supplying branded merchandise across New Zealand and Australia for over 20 years, and we’re pretty good at steering clients away from the bin and towards the keeper.
Get in touch with the team and let’s figure out what’s going to work for your next campaign.
