This mouse pad from the late 1990s does not have your grandmother’s flower pattern. We are referring to branded mouse mats—that daily desk worker you most likely have right now in hand. Oddly enough, these basic material slabs have more marketing potential than many people would have credited them with.

Ever noticed how subtly marketers fit their branding on every surface accessible? That action has wisdom. Still, the mouse matrix is unique. Like a patient billboard at the very core of daily business activity, it rests under a hand for hours every day. Papers bury phones; pens go great distances, yet mouse mats remain buried under papers. That is priceless graphic real estate.

Studies validate this. After getting it, almost 90% of respondents to a Promotional Products Association International survey remember the brand on a desk item. As it turns out, the mouse mat is plain sight and serves as a continual reminder. Every click and sweep enhances brand recall. Imagine your company logo gently smiling at your client every email opening.

Here is a narrative I recently came upon: An IT manager of a mid-sized company changed basic graphite mouse mats for branded ones with the company’s new slogan and changed contact details. Within weeks, an increase in internal IT tickets directly went to the new number printed on every mat—the correct help channel. It set off less misguided inquiries and, shockingly, staff involvement surged too. The small things count.

Not stop at your personnel alone. Forward them to consumers. Put these in your gift bags for your trade show. Unlike flimsy pens, mouse mats spread onto desktops and hang around, occasionally for years, not thrown in the trash. Industry statistics show that the typical promotional mouse pad lasts for up to eighteen months.

And lately have you seen some of the options? Mats made of recovered ocean plastics, wireless charging mats, full-color photo prints, and even ergonomic gel cushions abound here. Not only a square of foam with a faded brand, they can be useful talking starters or major desk enhancements. Choosing a style that appeals to your audience will help you to get your brand most clearly seen.

A brief advice: choose premium materials if you wish people to really use the mats. Nobody wants a warped mat that curls at the margins or one that turns sticky under a sweaty palm. Choose vivid, long-lasting colors. Smart people personalize with QR codes connecting to their website or a particular offer. If you have a bit of imagination, the opportunities are virtually unlimited.