Promotional merchandise is used by lots of companies and organisations around the world, as a way to improve brand identity and promote products, ideas, events, and services. Promotional merchandise is also known as promotional gifts and promotional items, and is often used alongside more traditional advertising material (Werbemittel) . For many companies, a variety of different media is used to get a message across to as many different people as possible. Some of the most popular advertising mediums in the world include television, magazines, newspapers, websites, blogs, search engines, radio, public billboards, and direct mail. When a selection of these channels is used alongside a promotional merchandising campaign, any company has the potential to reach out to a large base of consumers.

Promotional items are mostly used by commercial companies, although there is also a long history of their use in political campaigns. In fact, the first ever piece of promotional merchandise comes from 1789, where commemorative buttons were given out during the election of George Washington. Since this time, promotional items have been used by a huge number of companies and organisations. In order for an item to qualify as a promotional item, it needs to be both visible and cheap to produce. Some of the most popular promotional items throughout the world include caps, printed pens (Kugelschreiber bedrucken) , T shirts, key chains, bumper stickers, and stationary.

While most promotional merchandise is inexpensive to produce, some luxury goods makers also give away their items to high profile celebrities. The biggest reason that companies use promotional items is to improve brand identity, through useful products that may be in the public eye for years to come. Promotional items are also good for public relations, because everyone likes getting something for free. However, despite their massive potential, promotional items normally need to be combined with more traditional marketing mediums, such as print media and television. Advertising is crucial for most modern businesses, and promotional gifts play an important role in how these businesses brand themselves and their products.