I had a bucket of hope and a box of pencils. If you thought we were preparing to organize the office supplies closet, you’d be wrong. We traveled with those vibrant, logo-adorned pens. Placed them in hands, mailboxes, and, yes—one made it to the back of the sofa. Nobody forgot about us Positive Media Promotions. Who knew that a simple pen could have a greater impact than a memorable commercial?

We witnessed jealous glances following anyone holding our tote bag at every single trade show. “Come on, it’s only a bag,” I told myself at first. Weeks later, though, we had calls from customers who remembered our brand name only after describing our bag. It would have been more practical if it could fly, like if we had inadvertently created a magic carpet.

A lemon-shaped stress ball was presented to our accountant. Even during discussions about the budget, six months later, he managed to squeeze it. Smiling, he held the lemon. Above all else, though, it cemented our place in his mind. “The little things get remembered.” My mom had finally convinced me to believe her. Honestly, it’s true for business as well, even though she might have meant birthday cards and casseroles.

An old college pal dropped by our shop one day. Clear as day, she pointed to her mug, which bore our emblem. “Oh my goodness, I reach for this first thing in the morning!” In an instant, she turned into a walking advertisement, lukewarmly drinking coffee and enticing her pals to drop by. It was almost as if her mug did all the networking for us. We increased the number of mugs distributed. If a person’s kitchen shelf can accomplish what fancy billboards can’t, then why spend money on them?

The effect was exponential. Sticky notes, USB drives, and cool keychains were our carefully distributed giveaways. Certain individuals pretended as if they had won the jackpot. Their appreciation caught us off guard. The true killer, though? Sales calls become less tense after six months. Our brand was immediately recognizable. “You all with the blue pens, aren’t you?” was spoken above my head. Immediately, we were no longer strangers.

With this in mind, we set out to conduct some experiments. Charming calendars and magnets in the style of miniature dwellings were also included. Our rate of returning customers increased dramatically. Promotional items did more than increase exposure. They made small talk, established rapport, and transformed unremarkable meetings into promising opportunities. An unpleasant icebreaker at a networking event can be easily turned into a productive conversation starter by just pulling out a branded coaster.

Did everything go swimmingly? Not precisely. Flimsy refrigerator clips were our first attempt. Grocery list misplacement was a common complaint. Important takeaway. Even with freebies, quality was important. With every product, our brand was able to endure. Thus, we stepped it up and witnessed the blossoming of goodwill.

Alright, so people really adore free goods, even our cautious sales manager admitted. He began to bring a collection of branded merchandise with him everywhere he went. They were his “secret weapons,” as he put it. He was correct; insignificant details could have a significant impact.

What was our most incredible achievement? A child was the lucky recipient of a personalized yo-yo featuring our company logo at a local event. Recognizing us, thanks to a toy, his parents continue to wave at us whenever they pass by. It’s somewhat surprising that a yo-yo has joined our team as an ambassador.

Occasionally, large sums of money or showy actions aren’t necessary to do commercial magic. I only have a pen, a mug, and a funny stress ball shaped like a lemon. You might be surprised by the outcomes.