Strategic Branded Merchandise Ideas for Surprise-and-Delight Marketing

The BIG Show & Tell  | July 28, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode of The BIG Show & Tell, Donna Bender and Kim White share practical branded merchandise ideas you can use to surprise and delight clients, business associates, employees, referral partners, and prospects.

They focus on using fun holidays, awareness months, and timely moments to show appreciation, deepen relationships, and keep your brand top of mind in a warm, memorable way.

Rather than sending random swag, they explain how to choose the right people, timing, and products so each gift feels thoughtful, useful, and connected to your brand.

Who it’s for

This episode is for CEOs, marketers, small business owners, service-based businesses, sales and marketing teams, and companies that want to use branded merchandise with more strategy and intention.

If you want practical ways to thank clients, recognize employees, build referral relationships, support causes, or create memorable brand moments, this show is packed with ideas you can use.

Segment 1: National Heroes Day — July 30th

This holiday is a natural reason to recognize the heroes in your life and business.

That could include mentors, early clients, team members, community leaders, referral partners, or people who believed in you early on.

• Honor people who made a difference in your journey.
• Send a handwritten note, make a phone call, or feature a few heroes on social media.
• Pair the recognition with a thoughtful branded gift such as a journal and pen, plaque, or desk item.
• Make it a relationship-building moment, not a sales moment.

The strategy: help people feel seen, valued, and remembered.

Segment 2: National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day — August 4th

This is an easy, joyful way to show appreciation.

Donna shares a customized wooden box filled with chocolate chip cookies. The cookies create the immediate treat, and the box gives the gift staying power.

• Send cookies to top clients, referral partners, or business associates.
• Use a customized wooden box so the packaging becomes part of the gift.
• Share behind-the-scenes content as you prepare the gifts.
• Use the moment to say, “You matter to us,” without asking for anything in return.

The strategy: the treat is temporary, but the branded container keeps your business visible long after it’s gone.

Segment 3: Dog Appreciation Day — August 26th

This is a fun way to connect with clients and contacts who love their pets.

Donna highlights a dog water tumbler as a practical branded gift that fits into everyday life.

• Use this idea for pet-loving clients, employees, or referral partners.
• Consider industries like real estate, financial services, health and wellness, veterinary practices, dog walkers, doggy day care, shelters, and other service-based businesses.
• Choose a gift that connects to the recipient’s lifestyle, not just your logo.
• Make the message feel personal: “We notice what you care about.”

The strategy: match the gift to real life so the connection feels thoughtful and genuine.

Segment 4: Read a Book Day — September 6th

This is a great time to celebrate authors, learning, thought leadership, and community.

Donna shares her own book and talks about how writing it became a valuable brand asset. She and Kim also discuss supporting authors in their community, including friends, clients, and business associates.

• Feature your clients’ or colleagues’ books on social media.
• Send a branded bookmark, notebook, or small book-lover bundle.
• Use the day to highlight learning, growth, and thought leadership.
• If you have written a book, share it in a way that feels helpful instead of pushy.

The strategy: align your brand with learning, generosity, and community while lifting up experts in your circle.

Segment 5: Rice Krispie Treat Day — September 18th

This segment brings in nostalgia, creativity, and fun.

Donna and Kim share a playful gift idea: a retro lunch box filled with Rice Krispie treats and tied with a ribbon.

• Use a retro lunch box as the lasting branded item.
• Fill it with Rice Krispie treats for a nostalgic, playful experience.
• Use it as a VIP client gift, event giveaway, or team thank-you.
• Let the gift create joy, surprise, and connection.

The strategy: the treat sparks the smile, and the lunch box keeps the brand present.

Segment 6: Product Reel

A quick product reel features 30 branded merchandise ideas shown as lifestyle images.

The goal is not to use every idea. It is to spark imagination and help you think more broadly about what is possible.

• Look at categories such as tech gadgets, apparel, office items, drinkware, and more.
• Ask which categories fit your brand and audience.
• Choose fewer, better items that match your people and your story.
• Use the reel as inspiration, then narrow the ideas strategically.

The strategy: good gifting is not about more products. It is about better choices for the recipient, message, and moment.

Segment 7: Talk Like a Pirate Day — September 19th

This unexpected holiday is perfect for surprise-and-delight marketing.

A quirky day like this helps your brand stand out because it feels fun, different, and well-timed.

• Use pirate-themed packaging or small treasure boxes.
• Add gold-wrapped chocolates or small desk items with a treasure theme.
• Have fun with pirate language in emails, subject lines, or social posts.
• Create a moment people will remember and talk about.

The strategy: unexpected moments help your brand feel creative, playful, and memorable.

Segment 8: The Giving Plan

Donna reintroduces The Giving Plan as the bigger-picture strategy behind all of these gift ideas.

A giving plan helps companies map out the year, identify key appreciation moments, and choose the right gifts for the right people instead of scrambling at the last minute.

• Plan appreciation moments for clients, employees, referral partners, and prospects.
• Connect gifting to your sales goals, relationship goals, and brand story.
• Choose holidays and moments that truly fit your company and audience.
• Use gifting proactively instead of reactively.

The strategy: a giving plan turns random holidays into a coherent relationship-building strategy.

Segment 9: Breast Cancer Awareness Month — October

This moment is less about fun and more about support, care, and cause alignment.

Companies can show up for clients, business associates, and employees who are involved in walks, runs, fundraising, and awareness activities.

• Sponsor a team or support an event.
• Donate branded merchandise that helps raise funds and awareness.
• Use high-quality t-shirts, hats, bags, and pink-themed items.
• Choose items people will actually want to wear and use after the event.

The strategy: quality branded items can support the cause, create visibility, and give sponsors a reason to stay involved.

Segment 10: International Coffee Day — October 1st

This is a natural fit for business because coffee is part of so many daily routines.

Coffee chats, Zoom calls, brainstorming sessions, and client conversations often start with a mug or tumbler in hand.

• Use coffee-themed gifts for clients, referral partners, or internal teams.
• Pair a reusable tumbler with chocolate chip cookies, M&M’s, or Rice Krispie treats.
• Host a virtual coffee chat on October 1st.
• Use the day as a simple reason to reconnect.

The strategy: the treat creates delight, but the tumbler keeps your brand present in everyday life.

Segment 11: World Smile Day — October 3rd and Do Something Nice Day — October 5th

These holidays are about kindness, positivity, and generosity.

Donna shares how even a simple act, like a stranger buying her coffee, can change someone’s whole day.

• Encourage your team to do something nice that week.
• Highlight stories of kindness inside your company or community.
• Use small, thoughtful gifts or handwritten notes to reinforce generosity.
• Give without expectation and let the kindness ripple outward.

The strategy: giving with no expectations builds trust and loyalty in a way that cannot be faked.

Segment 12: National M&M Day — October 13th

This is a colorful, lighthearted way to show appreciation, especially to your team and employees.

Donna shares the idea of giving bento boxes filled with M&M’s. The candy creates the fun, and the bento box becomes the lasting branded item.

• Drop a fun M&M-themed gift on employees’ desks.
• Ship a gift to remote team members.
• Pair the gift with a note thanking them for being part of your “mix.”
• Use the day as a fun internal culture moment.

The strategy: creative appreciation energizes your team and influences how they show up for clients.

Strategic Wrap-Up

The big message from this episode is simple: surprise-and-delight holidays are opportunities to show appreciation with intention, not obligation.

• You do not need to use every holiday.
• Start with two or three that fit your brand and your people.
• Think about who you want to appreciate and what they would actually enjoy and use.
• Pair consumable treats with lasting branded items so your brand remains after the food is gone.
• Use a giving plan so you are proactive instead of last-minute.
• Lean into causes, themes, and moments that matter to you and your clients.

The right branded merchandise is not just about putting your logo on a product. It is about choosing the right item, at the right time, for the right person, with the right message.