Collectible promo items

I’m a geek, and when we geeks get our hands on the internet, we go to eBay to surf for the most, well, geeky things. So it’s no accident that I spotted this set of collectible Star Wars drinking glasses – the same ones Burger King gave out when the first Star Wars movie came out.


Picture from eBay

See, this is what’s great about promotional products – they last a lifetime and more. Any promotional item remains valuable for as long as it can still be used, or in this case, collected.

And this is why promotional items are considered to be one of the cheapest forms of advertising. By the time your recipients throws it away or stashes it in the attic, it would have already long justified its original manufacturing cost. If you’re lucky, your promo item may even become a collectible – and sell for more than its production price. This is NOT the case with more expensive TV or radio ads, which expire the moment it finishes. That’s money down the drain, instantly. Your intended audience may never even hear or see your ad, much less remember your name and product.

Now back to the Burger King drinkware. I have to be aggressive. There’s only a few days left before someone buys this from right under my nose. This means only one thing: I will have to do what only what a true Star Wars – and promotional products fan – will do in a situation like this. I will bid. May the force be with me.

– Josh