Is sub-par gift-with-purchase damaging your brand?

The brands that succeed with GWPs are those putting key strategic pillars front and center when devising their offering. The result is items that are memorable, desirable, and brand-building – and that consumers will choose to interact with again and again.

Audience context

For a gift to be desirable and memorable, it needs to be relevant and have a meaningful audience connection. The context of the consumer’s life and habits should guide the GWP choice.

We can look at two iterations of the same item – a hat – to see how one succeeded so well that its audience went to shops to seek it out, and how the other was entirely forgettable.

Stella Artois’ baseball cap as part of its ‘Perfect Serve Wimbledon’ campaign saw customers flock to Co-op supermarkets to grab theirs, after the merchandise went viral on TikTok. But this success was not just rooted in the luck of the algorithm – it was because the GWP resonated with its target audience. A baseball cap is typical pub attire, and a cap branded with an iconic draught lager makes for something that target customers would genuinely wear, as well as a witty talking point.

In contrast, brands can miss the mark by choosing items without first considering context and strategic relevance. For example, a cowboy hat in a UK supermarket may be a fun, playful concept. But the California beach-party or festival lifestyle it aligns most strongly with doesn’t resonate with the reality of the target shopper's life. Hence, it may be seen by the customer as irrelevant.

Steer the experience

All effective point-of-sale (POS) needs to convey a story to be memorable – storytelling being the most basic principle of marketing. But where GWP faces challenges is in creating an additional experience in a short timeframe at the point of choice for the consumer.

Hendrick’s award-winning watering can GWP packaging is a brilliant example. As well as embodying the brand’s botanical identity as gardening paraphernalia, it doubled as a genuinely reusable item that could enhance the experience of the perfect Hendricks serve: being used to water windowsill herbs to garnish and infuse the perfect gin and tonic at home.

In beauty, canvas makeup bags for sample sets are a frequent incentive. But to stand out, they must build an experience beyond simple storage. Situational design, personalization, or even simply a trend-led colorway are all low-risk but effective strategies. Charlotte Tilbury’s makeup brush holder is shaped like a luxury fashion clutch bag to double as a wearable item – delivering the full experience of its ‘Hollywood glam’ identity.

Stand out (even to loyal customers)

GWP isn’t just a tool to entice new customers: it can incentivize existing loyal shoppers to increase their frequency. And hence GWP also needs to stand out to those who already know your brand.

A classic beer glass is great for new purchasers to elevate their at-home pint, but loyal drinkers probably already have one. Brands that repeatedly offer the same thing risk wasting money marketing to the converted. So, how to stand out? Spanish beer company CruzCampo offered a twist with its ceramic coaster: a simple but different way to increase touchpoints. It wasn’t a high-value item, but it was something their customers hadn’t seen before (and would use), as well as appealing to new customers too.

The principle is simple: GWP doesn’t need to be extravagant to loyal customers, it just needs to demonstrate that the brand values – and more crucially – understands them.

Intention counts

GWP doesn’t have to be a cheap gimmick that’s forgotten. But equally, it doesn’t have to be a huge investment to make it effective. It’s about the intention. When brands consider context, experience, and loyalty, they create genuine gifts for their shoppers that are memorable, reusable, and value-adding tools for brand awareness and affinity.