I confess that, as an adult, I still feel a flicker of shame when I reach for candy. Like an echo from my childhood, there’s that little voice in my head that says, “Don’t let anyone see you eat that.” So even though I work professionally in the chocolate industry, I still indulge in most confections in private.

That’s why a few years ago I was both surprised and delighted when a group of colleagues gifted me an assortment of premium locally made chocolate and candy for my birthday. It wasn’t just that the treats were high-quality and exceptionally tasty. It felt like permission to enjoy something openly – a treat meant to be enjoyed openly and shared, not hidden away. That subtle emotional permission delighted me in a way that stuck.

Years later, I don’t remember many of the branded items I’ve received at conferences, in swag bags or as corporate gifts. But I still remember that box of chocolate because it created not just an impression, but a lasting feeling.

That experience got me thinking about a fundamental belief we often subscribe to in the promotional products industry. We place enormous value on the volume of brand impressions that consumers see. That repetition and brand exposure certainly has value. But what often gets overlooked in the pursuit of visibility is the experience attached to it.

New research published in the Harvard Business Review shows that consumer spending correlates directly with brand associations. A positive association with a brand drives an 18% lift in a consumer’s spending with the brand, while a negative one leads to a 12% decline.

While impressions ensure someone views a brand’s logo, they don’t always tell whether that interaction created value or quietly diminished it. Here’s why we need to rethink how we connect with customers.

The False Economy of Impressions

Having worked in retail for over two decades, I’ve become accustomed to different approaches to product marketing. But since moving into promo, I’ve accumulated six coffee tumblers, more T-shirts than I will ever wear and enough pens to fill a desk drawer. Admittedly, I notice the logos when I’m given a promotional product, but I also note if the products add any value to my life. The answer to that question is explicitly tied to how I feel about the brand that produced it.

Visual impressions don’t always capture how a consumer actually perceives a brand. A better indicator is “customer surplus value,” a newer metric that reflects a customer’s organic associations with a brand and how those associations influence what they’re willing to spend.

This is where the false economy shows up. Brands invest in products that generate visual impressions because they’re a widely accepted metric. But when the products don’t deliver value, they become clutter and can negatively shape a consumer’s emotional association with the brand, ultimately eroding spending.

Now compare that to a premium consumable like a piece of high-quality chocolate that doesn’t collect dust in your closet or drawer, but instead releases endorphins and delivers a moment of enjoyment. You can’t see it once it’s gone, but the experience remains with you. And in fact, ASI Research has found that 92% of consumers would be more likely to do business with an advertiser that gave them a food gift – more than any other promotional product category. There’s a huge opportunity for the promo industry to lean more into this experiential side of gifting.

Why Your Brain Remembers Chocolate

There’s a reason the experience of consuming premium chocolate stays with us. The positive brain chemicals it triggers, like dopamine, are tied to reward and reinforcement. More importantly, consumables engage taste, smell and touch – multiple senses that combine to create a richer experience. In fact, a 2025 study published in “Scientific Reports” found that multisensory chocolate experiences (including the packaging) significantly increased emotional engagement and perceived quality compared to chocolate presented without those layered sensory cues.

Research on sensory perception shows experiences engaging multiple senses are processed more deeply, retained longer and more strongly shape how people evaluate and remember what they encounter.

“Creating moments that feel intentional and carry emotional weight, even if they only last for a short time, is what builds lasting connection.”

That’s why people remember meals and other multisensory experiences, because they conjure up tangible memories of how they felt in those moments. It’s the same reason I can still recall that birthday gift five years later, and why I couldn’t tell you where most of those coffee tumblers I was gifted ended up. Brands that want to be remembered have to create experiences that engage people beyond sight alone.

The Power of Surprise & the Principle of Reciprocity

The impact of that birthday gift I received didn’t end in the moment. Over time, I went back and bought more of the same chocolate and candy from those local companies, some for myself, but often to give to others. I even partnered with a few of those brands for business events and have made many referrals over the years – one thoughtful experience translated into a positive brand association that’s paid off over time.

Looking back, there was another dynamic at play, one that we often don’t think about in promotional gifting: the principle of reciprocity. When someone receives something unexpected that feels genuinely valuable, there’s a natural inclination to pay it back. It may not be immediate, and it may not be conscious, but it does shape future decisions.

It’s why we hear stories about the Starbucks worker who was emotionally overcome after someone paid for the coffee of the customer behind them in line, and the chain of generosity continued for hours.

Findings from ASI Research show that 78% of end-users have a more favorable view of an advertiser after receiving a promotional item. Elevating that positive brand association even further – or avoiding a negative association – requires a deeper understanding of the customer, where they are in their journey, and what’s going to feel thoughtful rather than generic. That’s a different kind of return, one that compounds over time.

For decades, the playbook in promotions and gifting has focused on visibility, but that approach alone is increasingly showing its limitations. As consumers place greater value on experiences and businesses face growing pressure to reduce waste, the value of low-impact branded products is quickly diminishing.

Creating moments that feel intentional and carry emotional weight, even if they only last for a short time, is what builds lasting connection. In the end, it’s not the number of visual impressions that matters most, but the quality of the experience and how it makes someone feel about your brand long after the moment has passed.