Drinkware. Apparel. Tote bags. These are just some of the “classic” swag items recipients usually receive, and the ones HR and marketing teams typically choose. Over time, though, the novelty of these items begins to fade, especially when every company and team hands the same thing over and over again.
It then begs the question: What are some unique and fun swag ideas that we can go for to keep things interesting?
If we look at the data, there’s actually a real upside to unexpected and unique swag ideas. There is real upside to chasing the unexpected. About 78% of people keep promotional products because they find them useful, and one well-chosen swag item can generate around 3,300 brand impressions over its lifetime. None of that happens if your giveaway collects dust on a shelf, though.
As such, we compiled 10 unique swag ideas that will make your recipients do a double-take and cause them to keep their swag item in use far longer than any other generic swag.
Why Unexpected Swag Sticks
Before we go straight into some cool swag ideas you can use for your own promotional campaigns, it’s first worth knowing why exactly you should invest in such swag items.
Unique swag creates a moment of surprise: Picture the surprise on your recipient’s face when they receive a swag kit or a new swag item from your team and find a deck of cards with your team’s inside joke on it. That kind of reaction is what makes your recipient want to use your swag.
They solve a tiny problem: Even novelty items should be handy or practical. It doesn’t even have to be a big problem that these swag items need to solve. For instance, even a small fidget toy can be useful during long meetings or stressful work days. As long as they’re functional, they’re good.
Fun swag items get talked about: Let’s be honest, no one will talk about another t-shirt. But if it’s something unique (like a light-up yoyo), then you bet that there’ll be some talks about your swag. And that’s exactly what you want your swag to do.
What are some unique and surprising swag ideas?
Now that we’ve gone over why you should choose fun swag ideas, it’s now time for us to see what these ideas actually are.
A full deck printed on authentic 10.8 pt card stock, with faces you can customize. Put the leadership team on the court cards, or build an inside joke into the deck. Nobody throws away a deck with their own coworkers on it. They turn up at poker nights and get pulled out long after the send. Plus, they make a solid team gift.
A4 Attacker Soccer Jersey - $12.95
A two-tone performance jersey built for game nights. Good for a company five-a-side team or a sports-themed offsite, and a natural fit for fan-facing brands that want swag people will wear on the stadium stands.
Custom Flexible Magnet | 5" x 5" - $1.58
A waterproof, die-cut magnet with full-color, fade-resistant print. Low cost but with a high stick rate, literally. It’s perfect on a fridge or a filing cabinet and advertises for months, which makes it one of the more efficient unique giveaways on this list.
Who knew two clicky buttons could handle stress relief? We do! For this swag, a split ring holds keys, and a pull-out stand props a phone up during video calls. As far as branded fidget toys go, this one does a few small jobs at once.
Push Pop Bouncing Ball - $2.15
These are silicone bubbles you press and squeeze, or bounce off the table when a meeting drags on. It reads as a kids' toy, but they’re as useful to adults as they are quiet, tactile, and weirdly soothing.
Stash Socks - $10.45
Everyone has a couple of pairs of socks. But what they probably haven’t received yet is one that has a hidden pocket for a key, a card, or folded cash. Trust us, the runners and gym-goers in your team will get the appeal at first sight.
Yoga Dice - $6.98
This twelve-sided die shows a different yoga pose, so a quick roll builds a mini-stretch routine for your recipients. It suits wellness programs and desk-bound teams that need a nudge to move.
A 1 oz bottle of mineral sunscreen made with zinc oxide, plus skin-friendly extras like beeswax and coconut oil. It’s simple, but it’s effective for quick afternoon outdoor errands and will definitely be useful during summer swag campaigns.
Bullseye Dart Game & Pen Holder - $2.95
A desktop dartboard and a pen holder in one? Who wouldn’t find this fun? This swag item has two magnetic darts, plus a slot for pens and other small trinkets. Part executive toy, part organizer.
A 7.5-inch plush dressed in a tee or bandana, weighted to sit upright on a shelf, is a fun swag item to send. One, because they’re cute, and two, because your recipients with children will most likely remember your brand every time the plush is taken to play time.
These ten items are just the tip of the iceberg! There are many more unique swag items you can choose from PerkUp’s catalog. And if you don’t want to steer away from the classics, then opting for a cool or fun design (a custom plushie based on your team’s inside joke or a cuter rendition of your logo) can work just as well, too!
How PerkUp Makes Unique Swag Easy to Send
It’s easy to choose the fun swag items once you know what to look for in each. But producing and sending them out to your team in different countries isn’t. Luckily for you, swag management platforms like PerkUp can handle that side of things.
PerkUp is a swag management platform built for global teams that you can use for sending any swag item, whether they’re novelty or classic. Here’s how:
Flexible swag options, including On Demand swag, bulk swag, event swag, swag kits, swag stores, and 5,000+ gift cards. What this means for your team is that you can order swag items depending on how you actually need them, whether that’s 400 items for custom playing cards or one hoodie with a unique take on your company logo
Delivery across 65+ countries, with items stored in regional warehouses in the US, Canada, Mexico, the UK, Europe, India, China, and Australia. Duties are also prepaid whenever possible. For your team, this means that a fidget keychain or a sunscreen bottle ships from inside your recipient's region like any local order, so nobody waits weeks at customs or gets a surprise fee at the door.
Automated milestone gifting through 200+ integrations, including HRIS platforms like Workday and Rippling, plus Slack and SSO. This means that onboarding kits, birthday swag, and work-anniversary gifts (with unique swag items) are sent off based on your existing employee data.
A built-in design team, so custom artwork doesn't need an in-house designer. With this, you can put faces on a deck of cards or your logo on a soccer jersey without having to worry about designing swag on your own.
One dashboard to run it all, with real-time tracking on orders, inventory, and spend. This makes it easy for you to see where every send is and reorder the fun swag items or the classics as needed.
Novelty swag PerkUp clients have sent
The features we said above have actually been used by several other teams for their quirky swag ideas. Let’s take a look at some of them:
Hostaway
Hostaway chose a full deck of custom playing cards for their swag giveaway. It’s unique to the company, which makes it more personal and fun for the team.
Secure Code Warrior
Who said yo-yos are just for kids? Secure Code Warrior certainly doesn’t think so, as it opted to hand out a light-up yo-yo to its recipients. The company knows exactly what can help its employees destress.
ProphetX
ProphetX picked UFC buffs, a multi-use neck and headwear that its employees can use for game nights. A buff works as novelty and apparel at once, since it gets worn on runs and UFC days.
Acceleration Partners
Sunscreens are unique and useful swag items, which is why Acceleration Partners chose it for their event. The fact that nobody expects sun protection as a giveaway or in a kit makes it even more surprising and a good choice.
Send Swag People Will Remember
These swag ideas prove that standing out doesn't require a big budget. Unique swag works best when it surprises someone first and stays useful after. Pick items that fit your recipient, and let the practical ones carry your brand.
Pick a couple of favorites from this list, then book a demo to see how PerkUp ships them to your team across 65+ countries. We also handle all other kinds of swag!
Commonly Asked Questions About Unique Swag Ideas
What are the order minimums for unique swag items?
It depends on how the item is produced. On Demand swag has a minimum order of 1, so you can order a single item. Bulk items usually start around 50 units per design, and some specialty items run higher, like the custom playing cards above, which need 400 decks. PerkUp can handle both types of production, giving you more swag flexibility.
Can PerkUp source a swag idea that isn’t in the catalog?
Yes! Beyond the standard catalog, PerkUp can source custom or premium items, which come up often for executive gifts and client appreciation. Bring a specific idea, and the team can look for it for you.
Can you customize these novelty items with our branding?
Definitely! Most items take a logo, custom colors, or custom artwork, like faces on a deck of cards or a brand color on a plush. Co-branding and extra logo placements are options, too, and PerkUp’s in-house design team builds the files so the final product looks amazing.
Can PerkUp ship unique swag to a global team?
Of course. PerkUp ships to 65+ countries through a network of regional warehouses in the US, Canada, Mexico, the UK, Europe, India, China, and Australia, so an item sent to an employee arrives as a local delivery, with duties prepaid when feasible.
