Factual Friday (Whisky) 10th June 2026
- strichenantiques
- Jul 9
- 1 min read
Factual Friday
By Charlie Elphinstone
We have recently got in a huge selection of Whisky jugs to add to our already massive collection that we have for sale.
As I was sorting through them I began to wonder when promotional gifts were first made….
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The origins of promotional material is actually older than you may think.
With the earliest known instances of it happening all the way back in the 18th century.
In 1789 during George Washington’s presidential campaign he commissioned buttons bearing his political slogans to be distributed amongst his supporters.
These are regarded as the oldest form of political merchandising and merchandising gift.
During the 19th century, brands started experimenting with promotional gifts however they were usually things that didn’t cost much to produce such as calendars.
This changed in 1889 when the printer Joseph Meek began printing his advertisements on burlap book bags which he then distributed to children to use for their school books.
As the children carried these bags around it was basically free advertisement for Joseph Meek.
After this the promotional gifts industry became extremely popular with companies putting their logos on all manners of things.
Such as ashtrays, mugs, plates, keyrings, water jugs, t-shirts, hats and so much more
It’s estimated that in the UK alone over 1.3 billion pounds is spent yearly on promotional gifts and merchandise.
Now a question for my readers, what’s the best promotional gift you have ever received?
For me it would have to be my abundance of corporate pens and mugs I’ve received from all manners of companies, they come in very handy at times.
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