Five questions before you order 500 of anything.

The questions

1. Would they use it every week?

   Not "might this come in handy." Every week. Things that get used often are things that get kept.

2. Would they still want it with no logo on it?

   If the only thing making it interesting is your brand, it isn't interesting. Good swag is a good product first.

3. Does it fit how people actually live?

   Think desk, gym bag, kitchen, car, travel. Swag that has a place to go has a reason to stay.

4. Is it as good as what they'd buy themselves?

   A cheap version of something people already own loses every time. One better item beats three flimsy ones.

5. Will it survive a year?

   Peeling prints, snapped clips and leaking lids send swag to the bin fast, and your logo goes with it.

Where it lands

• Keeper

  Still in use a year later. It earned a spot on the desk, in the gym bag, or by the door.

• Junk drawer

  Not bad enough to throw out, not good enough to use. It lives with the takeout menus and the dead batteries.

• Donation bin

  Out of the house within a month. The logo went with it, and so did the money that paid for it.

Five yeses is a keeper. Three or four is worth a closer look. Two or fewer is a donation bin waiting to happen.