A good way to stand out is being innovative with your branded merchandise. Forget key rings and mouse mats unless you have got an amazing idea for the design. Aim for something that isn't instantly disposable. If it just feels like another promotional item, people aren't likely to be too enthusiastic about it.

More interesting ideas for promotional items and branded merchandise include limited edition T-shirts, your own brand sports drink and USB sticks. With a nice T-shirt design you can actually expect people to wear it, with cans of pop you can make a nice little collectable series and USB sticks, while common as a promotional item, actually is a very useful thing to have for pretty much anyone and it gives you the opportunity to include a promotional presentation.

We always try to push the concepts of promotional items to increase their shelf life, but there are also less extravagant ways of promoting yourself with branded merchandise. For example a nice branded pen can easily be forgotten at a client meeting.