by seobro
7 replies
At first I did notice that most of the promo pens given out at trade shows were ending up in the garbage can. Ditto the cheap calendars and paper notebooks that were given away. People started giving out mouse pads and other items to potential consumers. Then it hit me. Why, give out a mouse pad that will end up thrown away, and why not give out a mouse?

There was a man who got a huge lot of computer mice. He was selling them for a dollar each and it is easy to paint on my logo and web URL to each mouse. Well, I want to make the long story short.

At first nothing did happen as in no phone calls, but after six month the calls started coming in. It was a flood of calls that we had to answer. People were angry.

Typically, they went like this "THAT MOUSE YOU SOLD ME IS GARBAGE!!! I CANT USE IT!" A lady would tell me "The mouse is broken and I cant use my pc. You need to fix it right now!" The thing is that I gave them away. However, now these mice were breaking and I was getting the calls of angry consumers.

Hopefully, some of you can learn from my mistakes which are many.....

It was a real eye opener.
#pens #promo
  • Profile picture of the author Ryan D
    Banned
    I'd rather have a pen than a cheap mouse or a mouse pad. That's just me though.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rich Struck
    I always find it funny when people complain about free stuff. Then again, you shouldn't put your name on garbage. Still, some people have real nerve.

    A long time ago we gave out pens for one of our businesses and it worked pretty good. They were bright ugly orange and green but the thing is, you couldn't lose them in your desk or purse because they were so easy to see. At one point pretty much every kid in the city had a few of them and they did bring in some business. They were definitely worthwhile.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dan C. Rinnert
    Originally Posted by seobro View Post

    At first I did notice that most of the promo pens given out at trade shows were ending up in the garbage can.
    But, how many actually ended up in the garbage can versus the number that were distributed? I'd bet that most people actually do take the pens and use them, and that the percentage that throw them away are a minority.

    Anyway, some people are just wasteful. Drive around town on trash day and see how many people throw away perfectly good things...
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  • Profile picture of the author Online Bliss
    I know a few people that cover their refrigerator
    with (advertisement) magnets.
    Some are quite ugly but an attractive one
    with your logo and info may well avoid the garbage can! :rolleyes:
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  • Profile picture of the author tyroneshum
    I haven't had much giveaways from the high-end seminars I've attended but personally, I'll just save and keep those giveaways as souvenirs instead of being mad at these less quality stuffs that they give out.
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  • Profile picture of the author CliveG
    As a recipient, I think that coffee mugs are good. I have a couple that are in my line of sight nearly all day long.
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