Startups in the United Kingdom are increasingly turning towards customised pin badges, especially for building brand awareness during their early stages. The research also supports this practice because these small, yet eye-catching tools help businesses get noticed, remembered, and trusted. Startups in the United Kingdom are increasingly turning towards customised pin badges, especially for building brand awareness during their early stages. The research also supports this practice because these small, yet eye-catching tools help businesses get noticed, remembered, and trusted.
Thus, entrepreneurs have started to use them at events, meetings, and even during casual interactions to spark interest and start conversations. Moving on, the pin badges offer a simple, cost-effective way to promote a brand and leave a lasting impression. So, let us see how startup owners are using them to grow and stand out in 2025.
Custom Pin Badges as Productive Branding Tools for UK Startups
Made-to-order printed pin badges serve as a spotlight for UK-based startups. Without them, the consumers might never get to know about these businesses or understand why they should care. So, in a nutshell, these badges are more valuable for the new business owners than being sold to the general public.
Do Not Sell Them. ‘USE’ Them!
Being a new market entrant in Great Britain, it is important to know that even these smallest of items can be very useful for your business growth, if handled with care. Here are five ways other brands are already using the pins to boost their brand awareness in the region. Hence, read the examples thoroughly and take notes.
Branding Technique #1 – Personalised Gifts
According to the reports, countless small businesses that are new to the market have been seen giving custom brooches, as thank-you gifts, to their early customers. However, one might also hand it over to their supporters or even partners. This very basic practice is enough to add a personal touch that feels quite thoughtful, not a sales-making trick.
Apart from this, natives of the UK love freebies, especially ones they can wear or show off. Thus, these pins are a low-cost way to build loyalty and remind people of your brand. They also encourage word-of-mouth marketing, where a tiny conversation can lead to a new lead or fan.
Example:
A great example is Penguin Books UK, which released custom enamel pin badges as personalised gifts during its #MyPenguin campaign in 2018. Fans who shared their favourite Penguin titles on social media were selected to receive exclusive pins featuring classic book covers like 1984 and The Great Gatsby.
Branding Technique #2 – Event Visibility
The way to attract the target market’s attention is to hand out custom pin badges at trade shows, local markets, or networking events. The badges are small, affordable, and easy to wear. Hence, the receivers can easily pin them to their jackets or bags. This means the new brands can quickly turn the attendees of these corporate events into walking ads.
As a result, the visibility gets a boost without any big marketing budgets. Besides this, the badges spark conversations in an instant. For example, someone might ask, “What’s that badge?” and there you go, an easy way of getting your brand recognised in a fun and low-pressure way.
Example:
In February 2019, a fintech company, Monzo, launched a referral campaign offering special edition coral-themed pin badges to users who invited five friends. These were distributed during events in London, including Fintech Week, and effectively helped the company in getting the engagement it needed from the target audience.
Branding Technique #3 – Storytelling Pin Badges
Some of the new businesses are often noticed using custom pin badges UK to tell their brand story. It is usually through a clever logo, slogan, or symbol on the pin that effortlessly expresses what the venture stands for. Such as an eco-friendly startup usually goes for green leaves or recycling icons.
These visual clues help people quickly understand the brand’s message. Moreover, it is an easy and subtle way to communicate values without needing long pitches. This shows how when someone wears the badge, they are sharing the startup’s story too. There could not be a simpler and symbolic branding technique.
Example:
Lush Cosmetics released a “Fresh Values” pin badge in 2023 as part of their campaign celebrating core brand principles, such as ethical buying and fighting animal testing. This exclusive badge was available online and in UK stores, designed to reflect Lush’s commitment to fresh ingredients and sustainability.
Branding Technique #4 – Product Packaging
This is the most adorable way of introducing your fresh brand through personalised pins. Imagine tucking these cute brooches into orders, attached to product boxes, or used as bonus items in packaging. A little effort can go a long way and turn a simple purchase into a delightful surprise.
Moreover, it is 2025, and customers often share their “badge unboxing” online. This means another hassle-free technique of spreading brand awareness organically. Therefore, for startups trying to stand out, this extra detail shows both creativity and care. Last but not least, it also gives the product a memorable touch, making it harder to forget.
Branding Technique #5 – Online Promotions
It is often observed that the new businesses feature custom badges in social media giveaways or influencer promos. They introduce them by mentioning “Follow us to win this cool badge!” and you must have seen this trick work almost every single time.
Thus, the online promotions based on customised pins are an easy, fun way to grow online followers. The brooches can rock as brand ambassadors in both real life and the digital world, with the help of user-generated content.
Lessons for How to NOT Use Custom Pins for Branding
Despite many firms in the UK that are doing brand awareness through pins, in the right way, there are examples where the badge designs don’t match the original theme. This can create confusion in customers and weaken the brand identity.
Lesson: Always align the design with your brand’s fonts, colours, and message.
Some ventures choose low-cost badges with poor finish or flimsy materials. As a result, it affects the perceived image of the brand in the eyes of the target market. So, remember that quality = credibility.
Lesson: Always invest in durable, well-shaped badges that feel premium.
Next up, there are instances of entrepreneurs ordering badges last-minute. This often leads to the loss of the important. So, as a result of poor planning, they lose critical opportunities.
Lesson: Always order early and make sure to consider printers with faster turnaround.
Lastly, a few ventures were seen handing out badges randomly, without tying them to a story, event, or campaign. Forbes also reported the same, claiming that unclear branding can reduce the customer’s interest, making the efforts to waste or secure lower engagement.
Lesson: Always ensure that your badge serves a purpose like storytelling, loyalty, or advocacy.
The Summary
Speaking of the UK-based startups, it is understood that in the initial days, one of the most important things on their to-do list is to carve a space for themselves. This can be tricky because of the highly competitive markets, but with a unique branding tool like custom pin badges, fitting into a competitive market has become easier over time. You just have to mindfully place them in the right audience, at the right time, in the right event. The rest will be taken care of by these cost-effective, mobile advertisement tools. So, invest in them now and have improved visibility guaranteed in the next 6 months.Startups in the United Kingdom are increasingly turning towards customised pin badges, especially for building brand awareness during their early stages. The research also supports this practice because these small, yet eye-catching tools help businesses get noticed, remembered, and trusted.