Ball State

» promotional items

By China at 9:20 PM

My dad went to a pharmaceutical fair last weekend and came back with a bunch of free promotional pens. At this point, my sister and I don't bat an eye at any free swag he brings back from these conferences and fairs, but in the past, we would eagerly await his return so that we can get the latest pens to add to our collection. We wanted him to come back, and we would miss him during the weekend he was gone, but we also really wanted all the free promotional items he would collect just for us. With the aging baby boomer population growing, pharmaceutical companies are likewise stepping up their research and development efforts and coming out with more and more new drugs that help almost every facet of life. Pharmaceutical companies in particular like to give out promotional pens, maybe since pharmacists tend to use them a lot to scribble down notes, pill counts, and take orders. My dad has a bunch of colorful, oversized pens from various pill companies at his pharmacy. And my sister and I have more than enough of these colorful pens in our own rooms. I especially like the ones that are shaped like pills.

I guess companies like to give out these promotional items as a form of advertising. Come to think of it, it makes a lot more sense to spend a little more into a product with your logo on it to give to potential customers, rather than spend only a little on a temporary print ad that will be glanced at and discarded by thousands of people. Promotional gifts, like pens, are useful and people always appreciate free stuff. Maybe in some weird way people will connect these good feelings with the companies that engendered them through their free, cheap pens. Or maybe a pharmacist or customer will glance at the pill name on their pen one day and realize she needs to order a refill or want to get more of that type of medicine.

In any case, promotional gifts can be a really useful advertising tool. Of course, my sister and I didn't know any of this as we eagerly awaited our dad's return while we were children. We just wanted the pens and any free items that our dad was able to stuff in his conference bag, like water bottles or pill fobs. At least the promotional products were useful for the children of the potential customers.