You give someone a USB drive with your brand on it. It dies in your pocket. Gone. You give a calendar. It hangs crooked on the wall until April, when someone remembers to turn it. But a promotional squeezy bottles with your logo? People use the thing. Not even once. Not two times. Again and again. Like a jukebox that only plays the best songs.
And every time someone gives it a nice squeeze, your brand gets a little attention. Be quiet. Not forced. In the lunchbox, on the hike, and in the soccer bag.
They’re soft. You can break them. Put them away. Put them in a backpack like a crumpled napkin. Then, boom, put them back in their place. They come back. Like hope with a nozzle.
Last summer, I gave a batch to a juice bar. Owner put cold-pressed ginger shots in them. A bright green. The logo is front and center. People were coming back to fill them up within a week. Not because they had to. Because they wanted to. One regular said, “Mine says, ‘Squirt Happens.'” My child finds it quite funny. Someone else responded, “I attach it to my stroller.” My toddler thinks it’s a toy. Mission completed. Two times.
They’re not fancy. But they work. You can put hot sauce in them. Putting on clothes. Sanitizer for hands. Pancake batter, but that one makes a mess. The point is that they are flexible. Just like your marketing should be.
Colors stand out. You can choose electric orange. Very dark purple. Clear with a strong print. Not shiny. Shiny. Put in a carabiner? Now it can be moved. Put it on your gym backpack. Put it on a bike. Hang it up like a lucky charm.
And what about logos? They glow on surfaces that are not flat. Wrap around the middle. Be proud and sit up front. No fading. No peeling, unless you buy the cheap kind. Don’t do that. Pay a little more for better quality. Your brand is worth more than a blurry outline.
They are popular with schools. Teams that play sports too. Picture 20 youngsters running across a field, each with a small bottle of sports drink and your logo bouncing with every stride. That’s exposure with legs. Or arms. Or whatever.
They’re more than just boxes. People talk about them. You want to hear someone say, “Where did you get that?” Especially if the answer starts with the name of your business.
At a food truck event, one guy observed someone using one and questioned where it came from. He ended up buying a six-pack for his crew. The bottle said “Dip Squad” in big yellow letters. That’s talking to someone and then squeezing them.
They don’t stay motionless. They go places. People notice them. People share them. They are filled again. They get pushed.
A little pressure can do a lot. For the bottle and your brand.