Fill Your Mug With a Gift

You put WHAT in your mug?

I must confess…that promotional “coffee” mug you gave me with your beautiful logo on it…I'm totally NOT using it for coffee. Right now, it contains a small beta fish whose tank has sprung a leak. Before that, I was keeping all of my barrettes and extra Ikea parts in it.

Yes, those imprinted mugs that businesses give away are awesome for coffee and tea, but the fact is that they make great catch-alls! Never underestimate the extended usefulness of a receptacle for little stuff.

Office Supplies

I see no need to buy desk organizers when a perfectly suitable promo mug that I got for free will hold all of my paper clips, rubber bands, and thumb tacks. I have my “pen” mug and my “letter openers/rulers/extra forks” mug, too. All those business cards you see in that blue mug? Well, that's my “filing system” for new contacts. And that rainbow pile of candies in the heart-shaped mug…yes, those are “office supplies”…you can tell because they are on my desk sitting right next to my stapler.

Paintbrushes

So, you're an artist, you say? Or maybe you're showing the kiddies how to do the whole neo-realistic abstract expressionism thing. Well, you're going to need something to hold those paintbrushes that won't fall over or dissolve under all that paint. That mug you picked up at the convention awaits filling.

Plant Something

There is no reason on God's green earth that you should buy terra cotta pots to start your window garden when they're giving logoed mugs away for free to promote their cause/company/event. They WANT you to have them and see them every day, so put those things to use and start an herb garden!

Living Things

Okay, so we can't really condone putting living things in mugs, but the internet has some great suggestions for temporary occupancy that has adorable results:

Things your kids made

Kids make lots of “stuff” at school, and (no matter how much they'd like to) parents can't just throw it in the trash right away. You've got to respect the probation period for displaying kid crafts, and that playful mug with the brass knuckle handle would totally work as a paper flower, tongue depressor puppet, macaroni necklace holder until you rotate them out for the candy cane reindeer and thanksgiving turkey spoon.

Unexpected foodstuffs

So, apparently, you can cook your own personal mini cake in a mug these days. You thought you were being crafty slurping the perfect amount of tomato soup from that coffee mug after each dainty bite of your grilled cheese, but there is so much more to be made! Break out every free promo mug you ever scored and get busy. Mac & Cheese! Pizza! Southwestern omelettes! Meatloaf! Wait…what?

Now you're seeing the potential…

At this point, you should be getting the idea…sometimes the potential use of a promotional item or idea is not what you thought it would be, but it is still valuable, and your brand can become a part of something greater.