What is the best promotional item?

I recently posted a question on Linkedin.com asking;
What is the best Promotional Product you have received?

It was very interesting to learn what got some people very excited, while others claim to get some off the wall stuff, like a Remote Control car – in 18 years of selling promotional items, I’ve never heard of that one.

Here are the comments:

I received a great multi purpose tape measure, with a bubble level, a pencil and a little pad of post-it notes. I got it at the Power-Gen show from Black and Veech.
I use it fairly often around the plant.
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I’ve received lots of promotions products over the years, but the best one was a black nylon briefcase. It was very well made and suitable for every day use. It had a nicely embroidered logo from the vendor on the front flap which looked very classy. I used that bag for years.
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Remote Control Vehicles with all the right logos
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A swiss army knife, got it five years ago, still sitting here on my desk and I use 3-4 times a week
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I don’t know if it was the best but the ~coolest~ promo product I ever received was at a sneak preview of the movie “The Serpent and the Rainbow.” I received a hand-painted wooden coffin full of “zombie powder” (sand) and it had the phrase “Don’t bury me. I’m not dead” painted on the lid. It was just so surreal! I still have it too.
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Is it just me or do others find it funny to watch people beat the snurd out of each other to get their hands on a free promo T-shirt? Why do they do it? Are they thinking, “YES! This free Tee is exactly what I need to complete my wardrobe!” or are they just caught up in the frenzy of the crowd? Hmmmm… I just can’t ever recall ~wanting~ to wear someone else’s brand so badly that I was willing to claw out eyeballs for the chance.
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An alligator wallet by Valextra. Very appreciated! Unfortunately I can’t remove their logo from it
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I couldn’t even think about lugging wood without my huge Overture windbreaker. It keeps me dry in the rain and clean. Vendor Gift
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I love heavy rich looking pens from tradeshows. I have a nice handful on my desk.
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Calculators, squeezy stress reliever toys and first aid kits with band-aids from trade shows are winners.
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As a marketer, the best promo I used was the swiss army knife like set with our logo…good consistent performer.
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Perhaps the most useful swag I’ve gotten from job fairs/campus recruiting events are Starbucks gift cards, USB flash drives, and a mountain of pens, tote bags, t-shirts, water bottles, letter openers, mouse pads, stress relief balls, and candy/mints (I think it’s been 4 years since I’ve had to actually buy any of these things, I have so many from job fairs…).
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The most creative swag is probably the collapsible Velcro dartboard, the pocket-size travel chess set, and the first aid kit (marked “For Office Use Only”) that included a signal flare and survival blanket.
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The one that did really do the trick was: A Recommendation.
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Several years ago I had to source some prizes for a large regional contest. One of the companies I was considering sent me aset of high end Altec Lansing computer speakers. I went with them, the speakers were a huge hit and I still have mine hooke dup here on my desk….and yes, they rock.
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Also once got a personalized Lousiville Slugger, which I love.
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CASH…with pictures of presidents on them that I don’t often see!
I would not consider cash to be a promotional product, but thought I’d leave that post just for laughs.

Tim Somers
Bizarre Promotions, Inc.