Strategic Branded Merchandise Ideas for Surprise-and-Delight Marketing

The BIG Show & Tell with Donna & Kim | July 28, 2026

Episode Overview

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

This episode is all about using fun holidays, awareness months, and timely moments as a reason to show appreciation, deepen relationships, and keep your brand top of mind in a warm and memorable way.

Instead of sending random swag, they share  how to choose the right people, the right timing, and the right product so your gift is actually used, remembered, and connected to your brand in a meaningful way.

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 are looking for 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 gives you a natural reason to recognize the heroes in your own life and business.

This could include mentors, early clients, team members, community leaders, referral partners, or people who believed in you when you were first getting started.

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

The strategy: make people feel seen, valued, and remembered. A meaningful recognition gift can live in their workspace and remind them that they are part of your story.

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 tied with a bow. The cookies create the immediate treat, but the wooden 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 pack and prepare the gifts.
• Use the moment to say, “You matter to us,” without asking for anything in return.

The strategy: the cookies are temporary, but the box remains. It can sit on a desk holding pens, notes, or keepsakes, keeping your brand visible long after the treat is 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 travels well and fits into everyday life.

• Use this idea for pet-loving clients, employees, or referral partners.
• Consider industries such as real estate, financial services, health and wellness, veterinary practices, dog walkers, doggy day care, shelters, and 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: this is not about sending the same mug to everyone. It is about matching the gift to the person’s real life so the connection feels thoughtful and genuine.

Segment 4: Read a Book Day — September 6th

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

Donna shares her own book and talks about how writing it became an important 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’s” 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 the authors and experts in your circle.

Segment 5: Rice Krispie Treat Day — September 18th

This brings in nostalgia, creativity, and fun.

Donna and Kim talk about the story behind Rice Krispies and how creativity during hard times can lead to iconic products. They also share a playful gift idea: a retro lunch box filled with Rice Krispie treats and tied with a beautiful 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 internal team thank-you.
• Let the gift create a feeling of joy, surprise, and connection.

The strategy: the treats create the smile, and the lunch box keeps the brand present. Nostalgia is a powerful emotional connector.

Segment 6: Product Reel

A quick product reel featuring 30 branded merchandise as lifestyle images.

The goal is not to use every idea. The goal 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 feel aligned with your brand and your audience.
• Choose fewer, better items that fit 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 that fit the recipient, the message, and the moment.

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

This is unexpected, which makes it perfect for surprise-and-delight marketing.

Most corporate gifts show up around the same predictable holidays. A quirky day like this helps your brand stand out because it is 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: own an unexpected moment. Clients remember the vendor or partner who did something creative, playful, and thoughtful.

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 actually fit your company and your 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: high-quality branded items help support the cause, create visibility, and give sponsors a better reason to stay involved year after year.

Segment 10: International Coffee Day — October 1st

This is a natural fit for business because coffee is part of so many everyday 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 the immediate delight, but the tumbler remains. It may live on a desk, in a car, or in a kitchen, keeping your brand present in everyday life.

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

These two holidays are both about kindness, positivity, and generosity.

The ripple effect of a smile and positivity can travel farther than we realize. Donna shares the story of a stranger buying her coffee at Starbucks and how that simple gesture changed her 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. These holidays are a chance to center generosity inside your company culture.

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 they can use again.

• 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: when your team feels appreciated in creative ways, that energy spills over into how they show up for your 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 by choosing 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.