What Are Marketing Giveaways?

Marketing giveaways are a type of advertising and marketing strategy in which a company or brand will give away items for free to people to encourage them to make a purchase. Sometimes these are a type of contest, in which individuals must enter to win a specific prize; this can be a small prize all the way up to an all-expenses-paid vacation, depending on the company. In general, however, marketing giveaways refer to freebie items that are given away to participants or customers at events, usually branded with the name and contact information of the company.

Theoretically, when people receive marketing giveaways of items that are actually useful, they will then use those items and become accustomed to seeing the name of the company on the item. Should they need to make a purchase or sign up for a service, ideally they will then think of the specific company and make a phone call. Companies also use marketing giveaways as a way to show appreciation for their customers, and will sometimes do additional giveaways for regular or long-term customers. Some common items given out for marketing purposes include desktop items such as calendars, pens, or calculators. Other items such as mugs, keychains, or totebags are pretty common as well.

Some of the most popular places to find marketing giveaways are at tradeshows or conferences. This is because people in attendance at these shows will likely be meeting a number of different people from many different businesses, and companies want to find a way to help their products stick out in people's minds. Some companies will give free samples of their products, particularly at conferences and tradeshows, for this specific purpose. These may be considered a type of marketing giveaway as well, often referred to as "swag," and generally bearing the name of the company on the product.

Companies that host larger contests or giveaways for their customers might do it for a number of different reasons, generally to increase attention and sometimes to raise funds. This is common in nonprofit organizations, for example. In many cases, it is illegal for companies to require customers to make a purchase in order to be entered in a giveaway, or to make it more likely to win the giveaway. These are fairly common with larger companies, and big prizes such as vacations or large electronics are fairly common. The positive publicity associated with these types of marketing giveaways often makes it worth the expense.