SUBSCRIBE NOW!

Vol. 45 No. 6 — Jul/Aug 2025

MARKETING LIBRARY SERVICES
Strategic Swag: Impressions Count
by Kathy Dempsey

The promo-product lingo “impressions” refers to the number of times a logo-bearing item is seen—therefore, the number of times the recipient is reminded of your organization. For instance, if you give out candy in branded wrappers, it will only get a few impressions—or maybe just one if the person eats it right away. Higher-priced items that last longer—such as refillable beverage containers or T-shirts—get in many more impressions. Happily, you can factor the number of impressions into your purchasing decisions because the promotional product industry keeps statistics to help buyers do just that. 

ASI is a membership organization in this field. According to its website, “ASI helps its 25,000 members sell, market and promote their brands, while turning on the world to the power of promotional products” (asicentral.com/about-asi/our-story). Even if you’re not an ASI member, you can access some of its helpful research, which includes what types of giveaways are most popular among different demographics (members.asicentral.com/research).

When you’re preparing to buy giveaways, you might want to look at ASI’s 2023 “Ad Impressions Study” at media.asicentral.com/resources/Ad_Impressions_2023.pdf. Starting on page 66 of the PDF, there’s a list of many types of swag along with the number of impressions each one typically gets. (There’s also a section on cost per impression and lots of other interesting data too.) 

By all accounts, promo products are important to organizations for branding, awareness, customer retention, and more. An article in Forbes, written by an industry professional, states, “By offering a tangible product—with thoughtful design and packaging—that resonates on an emotional level, brands can have a more profound and lasting impact than [they would with] traditional advertising methods. This form of emotional marketing capitalizes on the human tendency to attach sentiment to physical objects, especially those that are gifted. When a promotional product successfully evokes positive emotions, whether through personal relevance, quality or creative presentation, it strengthens the brand’s relationship with the customer” (“No Longer Junk at Trade Shows: The Future of Promotional Products,” Feb. 15, 2024; forbes.com/councils/forbesagencycouncil/2024/02/15/no-longer-junk-at-trade-shows-the-future-of-promotional-products). 

To learn more about what to consider before making your next purchase, look back at my “Be Strategic With Your Swag” article in the March/April 2023 issue of MLS. But for now, I want to share some specific items I’ve gotten, along with my thoughts after using them. 

Handy Phone Stands

Phone stands are handy items that can get a lot of use. They come in many designs, and some work a bit better than others. I have four in the house—all pictured above—and I like each for different reasons. I’ve always liked the black stand I got at an Earth Day event, largely because it’s made from recycled tires. It comes as a flat rubbery piece that the user easily folds into a stand, so that’s helpful for travel. However, the opening can’t fit larger devices. 

There’s a round plastic stand from a library conference that has a cool circular design, but that makes it tough to store or carry since it’s made of some type of hard plastic. Unfortunately, the balance is a bit off because the two feet aren’t very far apart. So, when I put in a phone vertically, I can’t touch the screen without knocking the phone over backward. 

I have to say that I favor the taller stand and not just because I got it from the Library of Congress booth at an ALA conference. The open design lets it hold any width of phone or paper notepad, and the wide space between the feet makes it extra stable. It looks as if it’s made of metal, but it’s some form of plastic. Alas, when I squinted at the tiny text on the inside, I saw that it was made in China, as so many promo items are.

One other related product I’ve picked up is an ID cardholder that sticks to the back of a phone. These are fairly common and pretty useful. This particular one is rubbery and flexible and has a section that, when released from its flat state, curves to form either a lightweight phone stand or a handle that helps grip the phone. 

On each one of these products, the printed area is small—so there’s isn’t room to say much. It’s hard to fit logos onto items like these. These are other considerations that will affect your choice of tchotchkes: Do you want a logo to be prominent? Do you need to print in four color? Do you need a large space for a message? Do you want to include your URL? (The answer to that one is almost always yes.) 

Attractive Magnets

Even though magnets can already attract a lot of eyeballs while on the refrigerator, they can work even better if you seek out those that give you twice the number of impressions. So, I prefer the large, frame-style magnets that recipients can break into two pieces. They are usually 4" by 6". Hopefully, your recipients will use the frame section to hold a photo they’ll gaze upon often, and they’ll still have a large rectangular magnet to keep other items on the fridge, on the file cabinet, or elsewhere.

Classic magnets are good too. Choose those with an imprintable—or live—area that’s large enough for your image and message, and think about which is most important to feature. For example, I got two magnets as thank-you gifts for supporting the USO; the nonprofit sent different designs in different years. Note that one is pretty much all flag, while the other features the text “Home of the Free Because of the Brave” with a smaller flag waving. In both cases, the USO logo is small. Remember, the reasons you’re buying and gifting these items will determine how they’ll be designed. So, decide on your goals for each piece before you start shopping. 

Big-Picture Campus Maps

You might think paper maps are old-fashioned, especially for college students. But I have two that I think are good examples of libraries doing something extra useful for new students. Both fold into pocket-sized maps in which the covers are made of heavier stock to withstand being stuffed into pockets or bags repeatedly.

I love the one from Cornell University Library for several reasons. The system has a number of specialized libraries, and the large chart clearly shows the hours and resources at each one (see above, right). It’s smartly divided into color-coded sections that show the available spaces, services, and technologies for each building. QR codes are included to link to the website. Extra space is used to promote services such as 24/7 reference help and bicycle lending. The opposite side of the page (not pictured here) is a full campus map where all buildings are labeled, and every library is clearly represented with a red map symbol. When fully open, it measures 9.5" by 15.5". When folded, it’s the size of a credit card. 

The sample I got from the University of North Texas (UNT) Libraries has a slightly different design and different information. It measures about 12" by 21" and folds neatly into 4" by 5.5" when it closes like a matchbook, with a tab that keeps it shut (see above, left). One side is like an informational brochure that highlights standard services along with others such as loans of video games and consoles. The flip side is a full campus map that names all buildings, using book icons to mark the libraries. In addition, both sides of the map identify, describe, and list hours for all of UNT’s libraries. 

While online maps are de rigueur these days, I like the paper ones because they display “the big picture” without forcing users to scroll and squint to see everything on a tiny screen. And there’s a bonus: The old-school paper versions still work when students’ phones are low on battery power. 

Think Ahead, Strategically

Long-lasting, high-use items such as phone stands and magnets should deliver a good number of impressions for your money. The maps are in a different category; they’re as much a library resource as a giveaway. Actually, they’re like brochures that also have a side gig.