Ranked with ASI’s 2026 survey
Company swag ideas people actually keep.
People keep the swag they use. That’s the reason 78% of U.S. consumers give for hanging on to a promotional item, and it’s why jackets, bags and T-shirts rack up thousands of views while stickers and USB drives barely register.
One idea here you can make right now: a team laptop skin, drawn by AI from a sentence.
Art-ificial
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Art-ificial, ad 1 of 8
The data
19 kinds of swag, ranked. Sort by what matters to you.
All numbers: the Advertising Specialty Institute’s 2026 survey of U.S. consumers. ASI is the promo industry’s trade group, so read them as its best case.
Lifetime views: how many times people see one, by ASI’s estimate (how long it’s kept × how often it’s used × how many people are around).
- 01Fleece and jackets9,000
- 02Bags4,900
- 03Caps and hats4,000
- 04T-shirts3,500
- 05Polos2,900
- 06Umbrellas2,300
- 07Pens and pencils1,900
- 08Power banks1,800
- 09Drinkware1,300
- 10Desk accessories1,200
- 11Kitchen and household tools1,200
- 12Blankets1,200
- 13Buttons, lanyards and stickers600
- 14Calendars550
- 15Notebooks500
- 16USB drives400
- 17Food gifts—
- 18Health and safety items—
- 19Magnets—
Dashes: ASI’s report gives two different view counts for health and safety items and for magnets, and none for food gifts. Source: ASI Global Advertising Impressions Study, 2026/2027 edition, U.S. findings.
Ideas by budget
16 company swag ideas. Tap one.
Prices are rough: ASI’s cost per view times its lifetime views, so they’re averages, not quotes. Buying for clients? Try corporate gift ideas.
01 · Pens
64%
of people use a promotional pen every day
A few dollars each · about $1.50 to $5
64% of people use a promotional pen every day
The cheapest views in the survey. Boring works.- People carry them to the store and the gym, so the bag does the walking.
- Bottle openers, jar grips. They last, but at home, where only family sees them.
- Seen by its owner and few others. Better for staff than crowds.
- Fine in a bowl at a booth. Not a gift.
$10 to $20 · about $12 to $16
90% of people wear one at least monthly. Pay for the soft ones.- 60% of people wear one weekly. The pick for crews who work outside.
- It sits on a desk, where the same coworkers see it every day.
- And 81% would be more likely to do business with the giver. Good for clients who travel.
- Over half keep it five years. Obvious in Seattle, less so in Phoenix.
- 94% think better of the giver, too. It’s gone in a week, so send it to clients.
Worth about $16 to the person who gets it
$20 and up · about $20 to $36
Right for uniforms. Less loved as a gift: 34% want one.- Half of people keep one more than five years. A good winter client gift.
- 87% keep one more than a year. If you can afford one thing on this page, make it this.
Seen in public every day
Your logo and a QR code on the lid your team opens in cafés, airports and client meetings. You can generate the design with AI. Why a lid works as an ad.Skip these
Only 27% want one, and current MacBooks need an adapter for the usual USB-A kind.
For the team
The swag that goes to work. Try your company name on it.
Type your company name. Each lid is drawn to scale.
Drawn to scale, each skin cut to its own lid. Illustration of the layout, not a finished design.
More: laptop ads for business and team orders.
FAQ
Company swag questions.
What swag do people actually use?
Things they wear and carry. In ASI’s 2026 survey, 90% would wear a promotional T-shirt at least monthly, 92% would use a bag that often, and 64% use a promotional pen daily. Only 11% are excited by buttons, lanyards or stickers.
Does swag really work?
For being remembered, the industry says yes: 76% of U.S. consumers say a promotional item makes them more likely to do business with the giver, at 0.6¢ per view on average. ASI speaks for the promo industry, so call that the best case, and put a QR code on yours to count it.
What’s good high-end swag?
A fleece jacket, a blanket or a good food gift. Jackets get 9,000 lifetime views, the most in the survey. And spend on quality: 55% of consumers say it affects whether they’d buy a branded item, more than design (50%).
What should your team’s laptops say?
Free to start. You pay when you order a skin or want more than 15 AI designs.