Whether it’s a gift, a prize, an award, a commemorative item, or a little something to recognise a great job, everyone loves to get something for nothing.

Merchandise, swag, freebies… whatever you call it, has always been a powerful way of getting someone’s attention in an environment where there are so many calls on us.

We’ve all heard the stats about the huge number of messages that bombard us every day. Whatever the actual number or the media channel used it is getting harder to achieve cut through with the consumer.

That’s why merchandise has always been a promotional mainstay, dragging eyeballs to places that other media don’t reach.

Marketing with a smile

According to Mike Oxley, CEO of Prominate, merchandise finds a place in marketing due to its tangible nature.

“It’s the only piece of advertising that makes people feel happy to receive it. Generally advertising is viewed in a negative way to the extent that people now block it. But people are generally delighted to receive merchandise.”

As well as being happy to receive it, Oxley says that merchandise is kept and used constantly resulting in repeated views of a brand or message.

Innovative approaches pay off, as Prominate found when it developed a fun and useful sandshaker for Tui. The branded vibrating platform is installed at resorts to shake the sand from delighted kids after a day on the beach.

“When it’s well targeted and hitting the fans of a brand, merchandise is incredible. The power of what we do as an industry is massively underestimated.”

Cutting through

James Biggin, managing director of Steel City Marketing says that with increasing digital noise, it’s no wonder people are switching off from online marketing. By contrast, promotional merchandise stands out by slowing things down.

“Give someone a good notebook or a water bottle they genuinely like, and suddenly your brand becomes part of their day. It’s on the desk during meetings, in the car, at the gym. You’re not interrupting them, you’re helping them. That’s rare in marketing.”

Steel City client Parseq wanted to stop its thousand employees using throwaway cups, so invested in 2,000 branded stainless steel travel mugs. What started as a practical decision became part of the company culture.

As well as boosting green credentials as part of its ISO14001accreditation, the mugs became a recruitment tool too. Employees would take the high-quality mugs everywhere, providing a small but meaningful signal to the outside world that Parseq looked after its people.

Changing face of merch

But merchandise changes. Once, a powerful ally of FMCG campaigns, merchandise is increasingly rare in supermarket aisles where Andrex puppies and PG Tips Monkeys once reigned supreme.

The industry still thrives but merchandise has found new homes – supporting brands in different sectors and different ways, such as academia, onboarding kits, supplier outreach, motivation and incentive programmes, retail marketing, and live event activation.

Paul Goldsmith, managing director of Event Merchandising says merchandise is an increasingly important part of the marketing story providing fan commemoration, a gifting opportunity and marketing and promotional muscle.

The company has worked for such high-profile events as the Eurovision Song Contest, the Rugby World Cup, and UEFA Champions League.

A recent project was developing merchandise for the live experience of the BBC’s hit game show The Traitors, including a death match card game and a gift version of the show’s iconic chalkboard used to indicate who they think are the traitors within their group.

“Now more than ever, the younger audience are very much aware of merch and the power of merch, and that always features in some of our clients, like YouTubers and influencers. They’re not afraid to shout about merch, to talk about it,” he says.

Fan power

The world of merchandise has expanded and the boundaries blurred. Areas such as clothing have become huge sectors for merch, with the lines between workwear and fan merchandise becoming less distinct.

Ten years ago, who would have thought that consumers would be prepared to buy clothing plastered with a brand’s logo? Not as a sponsor of a sports team or event, but simply to show support and brand love?

At its best, merchandise creates powerful, real world items that enhance the customers understanding of the brand – and build their love for it, says Fiona Proudler, managing director, Orb Group

“Merchandise should provide a moment to extend the relationship that the audience has with the brand – whether it be a product or service,” she says. “When you create the right product, your audience will keep it and use it over and over meaning your brand will stay visible and be front of mind for so much longer than most other media.”

A sleeper hit

Rail brand, Caledonian Sleeper (CSL) approached Orb to create its first ever online range to sell to CSL guests and train lovers everywhere.

It designed and built a Shopify webstore, working closely with CSL to deliver a marketing plan for launch both online and onboard trains.

The launch was a huge success and, since then, Orb added a number of items to the range including a new Christmas collection.

It’s just one example of how merchandise can still deliver marketing power – if it is employed with creativity and passion.