The White House Is Getting Creative With Its Stockpile of Leftover 'Be Best' Promotional Items

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 08: First Lady Melania Trump arrives for the annual Marine Toys for Tots Drive at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling on December 8, 2020 in Washington, DC. Toys for Tots is a program run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve which distributes toys to children whose parents cannot afford to buy them gifts for the holidays. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) | Credit: Getty Images by Drew Angerer

By Brendan Menapace

The White House used a State Department party as an opportunity to give away leftover “Be Best” merchandise from First Lady Melania Trump’s chosen cause over the last four years.

At an event for about 200 guests, White House officials gave out Be Best branded items like frisbees, water bottles and backpacks.

The Be Best initiative was set up to combat cyber bullying among young Americans, who are increasingly spending more and more time online and are growing up in a world with so much social media integration.

So, why exactly did the attendees at a holiday party get Be Best promotional items? Typically, these would have been handed out long before the end of a presidential term, usually when the First Lady travels abroad and to different events.

But, obviously, the pandemic has hampered the First Lady’s ability to leave the White House, let alone leave the country, so there were leftover Be Best products that needed to find a home.

As one White House official who spoke to the Seattle Times said, “It’s time to get rid of the leftovers.”

Having leftover promotional products planned for other events should seem very familiar to a lot of promotional products professionals. This year, they’ve had to find ways to get promotional items in the hands of would-be attendees after some trade shows, sporting events and meetings went hybrid or fully remote.

This just shows that even the highest office in the country is not immune to the ever-important Great Pivot of 2020.