Buying a brand name promotional gift is a double edged sword as you can get more bang for your buck from buying generic giveaways or achieve higher perceived value by using a trusted brand.

Ultimately, the decision will come down to your budget; branded items are more expensive but are more likely to make a bigger impact on your attendees at your trade show display.  This is counter balanced to a large extent as generic giveaways can deliver the same quality at a fraction of the price but perceived value in the eyes of the recipient is the ultimate determinant as to whether your promotional item will do the job you intend – to keep you and your company in the mind of the attendee for as long as is possible and in a positive fashion.

Using a branded gift will associate your name and reputation with that of the brand – if you are looking to promote an image for quality, reliability and durability then a branded item will help you to do this – this is known as “piggybacking”.

Attendees who receive a branded item are more likely to use it and especially if this is clothing; a t-shirt with your company logo on it is more likely to be worn if it also has brand name manufacturers logo on it as well, for example Levi’s or Ralph Lauren.

Generic items are able to deliver the same quality as a branded version, but unless you are stepping up the gears and shooting for a higher level gift than your budget allows for with branded items, you are not going to create the perceived value you are looking for and the gift is less likely to be used.

My advice is to go for branded promotional gifts when you are able to afford it but otherwise go for generic versions when you are looking for the features you wish your promotional gift to have for your budget.