5
We only deal with promotional garment printing at Clothes2Order, so the most peculiar promotional product we‘ve ever created probably only stretches as far as a t-shirt printed back-to-front. However, there are some companies that will go to any lengths to grab customers‘ attention. From branded bugs to customised coffins, here are the strangest and most downright bizarre promotional items we have come across over the years.
Handbag Holder
Being an office made up of predominantly males the handbag is already a bit of a mystery to us, and this accessory only heightens our curiosity. The handbag holder is designed to be affixed to a table or other flat surface and provide a hook from which any handbag can be placed safely. Apparently this saves on the ‘hassle’ of hanging the bag from, say somewhere obvious like the back of a chair or the floor underneath the table. Not only does this product seem to be fairly popular (although we‘ve never seen one at a dinner party) it seems companies can brand them as well!
Promotional Perfume
Burger King recently kicked up a stink by releasing their own brand of perfume. Designed to capture the flame-broiled essence of ‘America’s favourite sandwich’, The Whopper, Flame is available from their website firemeetsdesire and New York City retailer Ricky’s for $3.99. To be honest we’re not sure whether this perfume is more likely to attract the opposite sex or hungry bears. Best not to wear it whilst out camping then, or you might get a little more alfresco fun than you bargained for!
Customised Car Shade
Promotional items for cars are very desirable as it is a place the customer is sure to spend a lot of time in, but it is hard to find a product suitable for branding that will work in any car. We found this brilliant promotional car shade produced by a Dutch insurance company that depicts a thief in your car, stealing your radio. Admittedly we wouldn’t have too much use for it here in the UK, but you could always use it to wipe the recent snow from your windscreen.
Stones
There’s more than one way to use a heavy stone to get someone’s attention. Russian artist Sergeech brands stones with popular icons such as Marlboro and Wrigley’s. Seems far cheaper than branding a USB stick like most companies tend to do nowadays.
Bugged Branding
But why brand an inanimate object like a stone, which will just sit there lazily until you take (or throw) it to clients, when you can brand something that will fly out there and do your promotion for you? Flikr user Mleak has taken brands such Nike and FedEx, printed their logos onto grasshoppers and beetles and then released them into the wild. Forget viral marketing, this is what its creator calls ‘parasitic advertising’.
DIY Pen
When you’re writing an important memo what is the one thing you wish would be integrated with your pen for convenience? That’s right – a screwdriver. No more will you have to get up mid-letter to fetch a screwdriver for the wonky leg on your desk. With this two-in-one pen/screwdriver (screwpen, pendriver?) all your writing and DIY needs are catered for. Not only that, but you will be thinking of whichever company has branded this item when using it, making it a great promotional tool.
Apple Apples
This fruity promotional product originated in Japan, home of the square watermelon. Stickers were used to discolour apples whilst they were still growing on their tree, creating these superb ‘Apple apples’.
Promo Piercing
Recently people have been letting space on their body for advertising, but this promotion campaign takes it one further. People in Brazil were not only offered this promotional tongue stud from Coke, they were given a free piercing if they had nowhere to put it! This new technique is inventively termed ‘advertasting’.
Doorstops
We’ve not seen a promotional doorstop before, but this squidgy monster was used by a headache medicine company to promote their latest pills. Given to doctors surgeries around the area the pained looking creature certainly leaves a lasting impression. He’s also pretty good at keeping doors open.
Promotional Prophylactics
We’re going to try very hard to avoid any of the obvious jokes here (although I think I‘ve slipped one in already). Company logos have made their way onto so many varied products it was only a matter of time before condoms were branded as well. Seeing as using a free promotional item is meant to remind you of the company that gave it to you, what better way to ingratiate yourself to a customer than associating your brand with him getting lucky? The condom package ‘offers a large imprint area‘ (I should hope so) and holds one condom. You can order from any decent promotional company such as TotalMerchandise or emc.
Customised Coffin
By far strangest promotional product has to be a branded coffin. People have auctioned off the right to advertise on their corpse and coffin (on eBay, where else?) and, amazingly, companies have taken them up on the offer.
One American man has his coffin in the shape of his favourite beer can already made, and it doubles as a beer cooler while he waits to have need for it. See the video report on this incredible promotional product below.
Back to top