Do Not Let Your Giveaways Kill Your Lead Generation

Everyone working in the area of branding and marketing knows organizing events is a great way to give your lead generation a kick. It also goes without saying that branding giveaways with the logo of your company is tested and often inexpensive classic. It allows room for creativity, even new product ideas.

But in an effort to impress with originality, companies often go over the top. Kitchen entrees by a large toothpaste company, yogurt by a world-famous magazine -- the list is long. I cannot help but imagine that all these quirky products came up as a result of branding experts banging their heads to the wall, thinking of the best promotional giveaways for their next event. Hopefully, seeing this list will put you on the right track in terms of giveaway ideas. Learn from the mistakes of others. You can not live long enough to make them all yourself, as Eleanor Roosevelt said.

Delicious Colgate

Yep, multinational oral hygiene giant Colgate was behind the idea of branding kitchen entrees with its name. In what other decade, if not in the '80s, could Colgate's branding team think they could close the cycle in such a way you brush your teeth after meals, so why not produce the meals too? Except they must have forgotten what food tastes like immediately after you brushed your teeth, even if that food was not a frozen Colgate dinner. Not surprisingly, the product was never launched overseas and was a major failure at home. For their sake, I hope they don'topt for sugar-coated candy next time.

Hello Kitty Beer

I know, I know, it's hardly news when you discover yet another item branded item with the cute Japanese character. Yet, when a large German beer manufacturer shakes hands with the pink feline to launch a line of the somewhat masculine beverage, that's something to talk about. Imagine a beer-drinking frat boy collapsed amidst bottles and bottles of Beck's Hello Kitty Edition. Or perhaps the two companies are preparing pre-pubescent girls for the time when they will become of age and will be able to legally enjoy the drink of their favorite childhood character.

Cosmopolitan for a Healthier Stomach

I know the British can have some odd ways, but in 1999 the people behind female magazine Cosmopolitan were busy thinking how they could put that to their profit. They made a survey which discovered that 65% of British people use edibles in the bedroom, so they decided to launch their own line of low-fat yogurt and cheese in the UK. After all, Cosmopolitan, where you can come across the word sex a few hundred times per issue, is easily associated with the bedroom. Yet, the link between sex and diary is a bit of a stretch the products were discontinued merely 18 months after the launch of the campaign.

Disposable Everything, Courtesy of Bic

French manufacturer Bic has a name for good-quality ball-point pens and has become something of a cultural symbol. In fact, the Bic Cristal can be found in the design collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Bic planned its brand's extensions carefully and always became well-known for its disposable lighters and razor blades. With one exception though. At one point, the company started producing disposable women's underwear that never really caught on in popularity. But that's not hard to understand I mean, if you threw away your first pair after some time, you probably had to always carry a replacement with you. Plus, I am sure some men had a problem with the somewhat disconcerting association you can make between lingerie and a pen.

The multi-functional bra by Evian

If you have ever rode on the Parisian subway and needed to quench your thirst, you might have noticed that Evian is the only brand of bottled mineral water the vending machines sell. But the branding people at Evian came up with another clever way of keep you cool in the summer: a water-filled bra. That's right, this multi-purpose bra has two pockets, filled with pure mineral water that will keep your body refereshed ... and, I guess you could take the occasional sip too. But I am sure it hardly surprises you anymore that a bra can be used for more than what it's intended for.

Whether you are a branding expert, thinking of a new product line or coming up with new giveaway ideas for your next events, there's a lot you can do not to chase your potential customers away. And do not forget: a custom USB is always in fashion.