Friday's Unscientific Poll: Freebies

[nanila]

For teasery spoilers on why I'm asking this question, look at the tags on this entry. :)

Poll #17261 Freebies

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 52

View Respondents

When you go to an exhibition or convention where people are handing out (branded) freebies, which of these are your favourites?

View Answers

Pens
32 (64.0%)

Pencils
11 (22.0%)

Keyrings
10 (20.0%)

Fridge magnets
18 (36.0%)

Stress balls
17 (34.0%)

Bouncy balls
11 (22.0%)

Bookmarks
12 (24.0%)

Stickers
18 (36.0%)

Something else I didn't list:

View Answers

Comments

[caulkhead]

Conversation in our office:

'R, you look a bit frazzled. Would you like to borrow my squeezy stress ship?'

'You have a *squeezy stress ship?"

"I have *four* squeezy stress ships."

[nanila]

I like the idea of a squeezy stress ship! It sounds very satisfying to crush in one hand. I'd feel a sense of Godzilla-like strength.

[redsixwing]

Unless they are lousy pens that blot things, in which case the stickers are probably going to win. I have a work notebook whose back cover has been thoroughly bestickered.

[nanila]

There will definitely be stickers. The rest will depend on the cost. We'll probably go for fewer of the more costly items and risk running out.

[gwendraith]

None. I tend to resist as I have a bijou home which I'm always having to declutter. "Stuff" seems to multiply like procreating bunnies!

[nanila]

Yes it does. Most freebies live in my office!

[pulchritude]

For me, it depends on the brand. Some brands do better with/on some things than others :p

[nanila]

The "brand" in this case will be Comet 67P. :)

[chickenfeet]

Somewhat related, I like it when at a press conference they give you all the relevant material on a memory stick.

[nanila]

That could be a good idea for giveaways for teachers - USB sticks with Rosetta images & videos. Thanks!

[ursula]

My best conference swag has all been NSA swag (spiral notebook, juggling balls).

[nanila]

Juggling balls would be cool! Probably too much for out budget though.

[omnipotent]

One of my favorites is cloth grocery bags. They give them out yearly here at the International Auto Show, usually with that particular vehicle manufacturer's marque on them. Sometimes they also give out drawstring bags, the ones that look like little backpacks, and those are fun, too.

It's useful in particular for me because I have small arms, so therefore I find transporting foodstuffs in cloth grocery bags to be much more efficient as well as (I hope) cutting down a wee bit on my carbon footprint. Also, sometimes I need to take items with me that I don't have a dedicated bag for, that would be better served by a non-disposable bag (example: makeup for modeling, wet items for when I leave the gym pool [to keep separate from dry items], a bag to carry my lunch, breakfast, and water bottle in, etc). My cloth bags double as necessary for carrying those items.

[nanila]

I like the idea of cloth bags but the Royal Society gives them at the door when people enter the exhibition so I fear they'd be redundant coming from us. They weren't on our list of things to price up though so I'll look into it. Thanks!

[pbristow]

...Though thinking about it, a branded £10 note might not be widely accepted... unless the "brand" is "Bank of England"... =:o?

[nanila]

We scarcely have enough to cover the cost of the exhibition so I doubt we'll be giving out cash. Not to mention that the RS probably doesn't look kindly on naked bribery.

[ayebydan]

pens. pens are pricey these days. i approve of not having to buy them

[nanila]

Pens are the only clear standout winner in the poll. Definitely worth pricing up, I just hope we can afford a few thousand!

[vi]

I don't get a lot of these freebies, but my husband does because he goes to heaps of conferences. We like the free pens! Thumbdrives have also been useful.

Oh! He just told me that he's also liked a freebie measuring tape and a first aid kit.

[nanila]

Measuring tape would be appropriate for the theme of our stand as well! USB drives are on my list to price up. USB wristbands might be cool too but no idea how much they cost per unit in bulk. Thanks for the additional suggestions. :)

[fred_mouse]

Looking at the branded items I have at my desk at work, lanyards and post-it notes. I used to have a mouse, until the boss provided me with a wireless one.

Looking at my co-workers desks, I see keep cups, highlighters, pens, mouse pad, science information posters, USB thumb drives, headhpones, stress balls, spray bottles, and I'm sure there is an egg-timer somewhere. One also has a couple of expensive items - a basic arithmetic calculator with a bank brand, and a lab timer with a lab supplies brand.

(this is a sample of seven desks - there is quite a range in terms of numbers of items. Most of the range is on the desk of one of the PhD students)

In the past, we have had year planners and desk calendars as well.

[nanila]

Thanks for the range of ideas! I doubt our budget will stretch to the fancier items but I'm hoping now that we can find at least one freebie to link to the stand theme instead of just going with pens.