We’ve all been given a baseball cap as a promotional gimmick or giveaway, and most of the time we don’t wear them. Why not?

Because they look too new

If you want a hat that is the summer equivalent of a biker’s leather jacket, you have to do a bit of work. Squeaky clean baseball caps are great for cute children and ladies, but most men want something that looks as if it has earned its place on their head.  Obviously if you wear it a great deal it will eventually get that rough round the edges look, but if you want a vintage looking hat from new, then you can take some rough sandpaper to the seams and brim of the hat too take the edge of the newness. Then bury it overnight (yes really!) and wash it the next day in a good hot wash with some washing soda in it (remember to mark where you buried it though or you may lose it forever) and in just 24 hours you’ve got a hat that looks like its been worn all summer. Leaving your hat in the sun for a couple of days also helps to give it a weathered look.

Because they are flat billed

Some baseball caps are made flat-billed because they are easier to manufacture and ship, but if you want a classic curved brim, simply find a beer mug (the kind with a handle) dampen the brim and put it in the mug overnight. By next morning the hat will have a nice curve across the brim. Don’t do this when drunk, or you may put the bill in the mug the wrong way and end up with a hat that looks like it’s smiling.

It’s a stupid colour

This is the supplier’s fault and if your baseball cap is a promotional item then you can expect the company whose logo appears on the hat to disappear before too long – it’s a very stupid mistake to provide promotional clothing in colours that nobody wants to wear, even if that is the brand colour. Much better advice is to keep the logo in brand colours and to pick black, navy, red or white for the cap colour because those are the classic colourways that most people are happy to have on their heads.

It’s too big

If your cap is not adjustable, and it’s made of cotton, you can try shrinking it. First make it wet – if it has a plastic bill you can dip it in warm water, and then wring it out slightly before putting it on your head – wear it until it is completely dry. It will fit you like a glove.

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites

The key point in selecting promotional items to be given as gifts is to ensure that you balance the relationship between the client and the promotional item. If you have a loyal customer who’s been buying from you for several years, then sending him or her a T-shirt or a mouse mat might not have the required effect – in fact, you might cause that customer to wonder if you really value their custom!

In such cases it is better to give either a gift of more substantial value, such as a really good briefcase, or to supply a wider range of smaller, cheaper promotional items that the customer can distribute to their workforce – baseball caps are ideal for this purpose as they are small, easily transported and fun.

Then again, you have to balance the costs of your promotional campaign with your projected returns. There’s not a lot of point giving sweatshirts to people you’re trying to persuade to buy chewing gum!

Remember the range of ways that promotional items can be used: you can use gifts to launch or promote a new product, in which case the gift as to reflect the product and create interest in it. Bags with your logo and ‘designed to hold X’ where X is the name of your product are an ideal example.

You can also use promotional merchandise to support your customers. If you make kitchen equipment, why not give a free apron with every order over a certain amount? That encourages your clients to buy from you, gives you a free promotional activity in their workplace and allows the staff to keep their clothes clean – everybody is a winner which creates a happy buzz around your brand image in their minds.

You must also ensure the promotional gift will be useful for a long time. Durable high quality items reflect well on your company, but shoddy clothing or bags that fall apart don’t. Always buy the best T-shirts you can afford, for example and be sure that the printing won’t fade or crack as you don’t want your image to look old, tired and dated. A good supplier can advise you on the best printing options for your promotional campaign.

Bookmark to:

Hide Sites