Are Giveaway Items Worth the Investment?

The Hidden Power of Custom Gifts in Corporate Branding Reading Are Giveaway Items Worth the Investment? 6 minutes

By smebro HKOct 24, 2025

Are giveaways better than digital ads for ROI?

It might, depending on your goals and how you use them. Giveaways provide longer-lasting brand exposure compared to digital ads, which quickly disappear. A well-designed custom item can stay with a person for months or even years, offering repeated impressions every time it's used. This makes them especially powerful for brand recall and event marketing. While it's best to use giveaways alongside digital ads, you must remain focused on your target audience, as achieving ROI can't be done solely on one method and must be continuously tracked.

How do I measure the return on investment (ROI) of giveaway items?

Measuring return on investment of giveaway items isn't always as straightforward as tracking digital ads. The key is to connect the costs of the campaign to measurable outcomes such as leads, sales, engagement, or brand awareness. First you have to set a clear goal, decide what success looks like for your giveaway with the several points mentioned above. Track costs starting from production costs, shipping, and promotion. Use several tracking tools such as sales generated from giveaway recipients, QR scans leading to landing pages, surveys, feedback forms, social media tags or hashtags, website traffic or conversions.

Qualify the results based on your goals like number of new leads or email signups, sales or revenue linked to the giveaway, increase in social media followers, booth visits, website visits or time spent on site.

Which custom items are most effective for giveaways?

Before you spend money on branded merchandise, you should understand that not all items are created equal. The most effective ones are useful, durable, and aligned with your audience's lifestyle or work. Here are some items that BestGift has selected for you as suitable giveaway items:

Tote bags, because this item is reusable, visible in public, and has eco-friendly options.
Reusable water bottles, because this encourages daily use and high perceived value and great for health conscious or active audiences.
Custom T-shirts can be a walking billboard for your brand if the design is appealing, plus recipients will enjoy wearing them on various occasions if the fabric quality is guaranteed and has subtle branding on it.
Phone accessories, because almost everyone has a phone and can use it easily. The problem is, you have to understand the type of phone your audience uses.
Desk items will provide constant visibility in work environments and are perfect for tech events or remote team gifts.

Do people keep and use giveaway items?

Yes, if the item is well-made, useful, and relevant to the recipient. You must do research before deciding to create giveaway items because it will determine the outcome of your branding strategy. People keep branded merchandise items because they are practical, can be used for everyday needs, have an emotional connection, are of good quality, or look stylish when worn.

The Hidden Power of Custom Gifts in Corporate Branding

People will only throw away giveaway items if they are irrelevant, poor quality or break easily, have an oversized logo or slogan, are difficult to carry, or are impractical.

Are giveaways effective for small businesses with limited budgets?

Yes, as long as it's done with a well-thought-out strategy to maximize costs. You don't need a huge budget to make a positive impact with giveaways. In fact, small businesses often benefit more than large ones because giveaways help them stand out and generate word-of-mouth with a relatively low investment.

One example of a giveaway is when a local coffee shop gives away free reusable sleeves or mugs to the first 50 customers on the launch day of a new product. The cost is no more than HKD 2000, but those customers post photos on social media, reusing the items, and displaying the logo, creating a stronger connection with the brand. And these reasons are sustainable over the long term, with the outlay only costing a few dollars per person.

What’s the biggest mistake companies make with giveaways?

Many business owners are still careless with their item selection, choosing low-quality or useless items that people will easily forget. They waste your budget and can hurt your brand image by appearing careless. Furthermore, giving out items that don't fit your audience's needs or interests can be a misstep in creating branded merchandise.

Avoid creating oversized logos or having poor product designs, as unattractive products can be a turnoff. People prefer items that look good and feel valuable. And most importantly, giveaways must be tracked and measured so you can gauge the ROI of your investment. A giveaway isn't just free stuff, it's how well you spend money on brand awareness, and invest in your brand's reputation. Treat it thoughtfully or avoid wasting time and money.

Best place to get giveaway items that worth the investment

BestGiftHK is the easy answer for you! With over a decade of experience, we offer a comprehensive, one-stop solution for businesses seeking effective promotional products. BestGift has built a strong reputation for delivering quality corporate gifts and promotional items.

Offering a vast selection of customizable items, including drinkware, apparel, tech accessories, stationery, and more, suitable for various promotional needs. Whether you need a single item or bulk orders, BestGiftHK accommodates both, ensuring your branding stands out.

How to order from us? We got you!

Visit our site and explore the extensive range of customizable products.
Choose the item you wish to customize, reach out to our customer service team to discuss your customization needs.
Receive a quote outlining the costs and bulk order discounts
Confirm your order
Provide your logo or using our free layout design services
Production begins
Packaging and shipping