Do you recognize this feeling while you’re walking through the Nespresso brand store? Everything seems to be in perfect harmony. The colors, counters, even the delicious smell of coffee. Everything just ‘feels’ perfect.

Imagine you receive some good news. An independent consumer panel has ranked your book as 7th best written, your shampoo smells the second best or the laptop you sell is ranked 37th on a list of hundred others.

Great news – isn’t it?

Smell. Isn’t it amazing how a dash of invisible scent molecules is able to transport you right back into a childhood visit to your grandparents? Or how the delicious aroma of freshly baked bread seems to lure you into that little bakery around the corner – despite your strict low-carb diet? And everyone recognizes that typical smell emanating from the box of your brand-new phone or television.

So people love free stuff. Always have, always will. Especially the Dutchies. We crave for free stuff, but that’s another discussion. But is free always the best option?

If you’re a marketer or entrepreneur and you tend to give away promotion products for free in order to generate more sales or bind customers: keep reading. All this time you have been doing it completely wrong.