ESSAY — Novelty and Proof of Existence

Pearl Soap as Novelty
— What a Vanishing Gift Leaves Behind

Are novelty goods merely ephemeral promotional items, or are they a form of proof of existence?
Using Pearl Soap as a case study, this essay examines the traces that consumable gifts leave in memory.

Core argument of this essay: Novelty goods are commonly regarded as "things that are used and then disappear," but an exceptional novelty inscribes the giver's existence into the recipient's memory. A consumable that nonetheless leaves a relationship behind — Pearl Soap demonstrates the potential of "novelty as proof of existence."

* This essay is an academic exploration and does not endorse any specific promotional method.

1. What Are Novelty Goods?

Novelty goods are items distributed free of charge by companies or organizations for promotional and publicity purposes. Pens, calendars, tote bags, sticky notes — our daily lives are filled with novelty goods.

The origins of novelty goods

The history of novelty goods traces back to 19th-century American election campaigns. Buttons and memorabilia bearing candidates' names were distributed to voters, conveying the message: "Remember this candidate."

This is, in essence, an act of proof of existence. "I (this company, this candidate) am here. Please remember me." — novelty goods are this message made material.

The functions of novelty goods

In modern marketing, novelty goods are understood to serve the following functions:

However, these functions represent "the corporate perspective." What meaning do novelty goods hold for the recipient?

2. The Limitations of Novelty Goods as Consumables

Most novelty goods are destined to be "consumed" from the moment they are received.

Unused novelty goods

Research suggests that a large proportion of distributed novelty goods are discarded without ever being used. The mountain of pens collected at trade shows lies dormant in a drawer, only to be thrown away during a major clean-out years later.

This is a failure of proof of existence. The giver wished to be "remembered," but nothing remained in the recipient's memory.

Novelty goods as an environmental problem

Disposable novelty goods also present environmental concerns. Plastic products, low-quality textile goods — these are mass-produced and mass-discarded. In the age of the SDGs, the very nature of novelty goods is being called into question.

Forgettable novelty goods

The most fundamental problem is that most novelty goods are simply "not memorable." How many people actually think of a company while using a pen bearing its logo?

Novelty goods fail to be memorable because they are not "special." Available everywhere, owned by everyone — such novelty goods do not function as proof of existence.

Most conventional novelty goods fail as proof of existence. Unused, unmemorable, leaving behind nothing but environmental burden — this is the current state of novelty goods.

3. Why Soap Is Chosen as a Novelty

Soap has long been used as a novelty item. Let us examine the reasons.

The significance of being a consumable

Soap is a consumable that disappears with use. At first glance, this seems unsuited to proof of existence. Yet precisely because it is a consumable, it has the advantage of being "certain to be used."

A pen may go unused, but soap, as a hygiene essential, will be used. Each use creates an opportunity to remember the giver.

Appeal to the five senses

Soap engages all five senses. Shape (sight and touch), fragrance (smell), lather (touch), the sensation of use (whole-body experience) — a multisensory experience is more likely to be remembered.

As the Proust effect demonstrates, olfaction is strongly linked to memory. A soap with a distinctive fragrance will recall the giver each time its scent is encountered.

Cleanliness and positive associations

Soap is associated with positive concepts: "cleanliness," "hygiene," "care." Giving soap implicitly communicates the message: "I care about your well-being."

This transcends mere promotion — it is an expression of a relationship.

4. The Distinctive Qualities of Pearl Soap

Pearl Soap possesses characteristics that set it apart from ordinary novelty soaps.

The meaning of the paw-pad shape

Pearl Soap is shaped to resemble the paw pads of a dog or cat. This shape carries the following significance:

More than a mere bar of soap, Pearl Soap carries emotional depth as something that gives form to "the love for our dog Pearl."

The value of being handmade

Pearl Soap is not mass-produced; each one is handcrafted. Being handmade creates the following value:

These qualities elevate Pearl Soap from "mass-produced item" to "gift."

Pearl Soap as gift economy

Pearl Soap is not sold; it is given as "a gift to those with whom we share a connection." This positions it not within the market economy (buying and selling) but within the gift economy.

Gift-giving generates a different kind of relationship than commercial transactions. Where buying and selling conclude a relationship through "equal exchange," gift-giving sustains a relationship through "the expectation of reciprocity." The person who receives Pearl Soap continues to be aware of their relationship with the giver.

5. Potential for Corporate and Organizational Use of Novelty Goods

Let us consider how companies and organizations might utilize "novelty goods as proof of existence," like Pearl Soap.

As retirement gifts

Giving Pearl Soap as a retirement gift to a long-serving employee. Conveying the message "We are grateful that you were here" — remembered with each use.

A handmade bar of soap may leave a warmer memory than a company-branded pen.

As tokens of customer appreciation

Given as an expression of gratitude to long-standing customers. Materializing "our thanks that you chose us." Rather than mass-produced novelty goods, something that conveys the sense of "chosen especially for you."

As event keepsakes

Wedding favors, exhibition visitor gifts, seminar attendance mementos — given in a way that ties to the memory of an event. Each time the soap is used, the memory of that day is revived.

For pet-related businesses

Veterinary clinics, pet shops, pet insurance companies — for businesses connected to pets, paw-pad soap holds particular meaning. It deepens the bond with customers who share a "love for their pets."

6. The Paradox of Consumption and Memory

Soap vanishes with use. Yet something remains through its vanishing.

The process of consumption and memory

A person who uses Pearl Soap daily is reminded of "the person who gave this to me" with each use. The process of a fresh bar of soap gradually growing smaller makes the passage of time visible.

When the soap is gone, does the memory of the giver vanish too? On the contrary, what may remain is the thought: "That soap was wonderful" or "I'd like to have it again." Through being consumed, existence migrates from the object to memory.

The aesthetics of "vanishing"

Japanese culture has long found beauty in "vanishing." Cherry blossoms are beautiful precisely because they fall. Incense marks the time of prayer precisely because it burns to nothing.

Soap, too, finds meaning in being consumed. The act of using it completely is testimony that "it was treasured to the last."

"Things may vanish, but feelings remain. Indeed, it is after a thing has vanished that feelings are distilled to their purest form."

The complementary relationship between permanence and consumption

Among those who give Pearl Soap, some also use TokiStorage. A permanent record etched in quartz glass, and a bar of soap consumed day by day — these two are contrasting yet complementary.

The permanent record is directed at "someone 1,000 years from now." The consumable soap is directed at "you, today." Two proofs of existence on different timescales, born from the same sentiment.

Pearl Soap is a paradoxical proof of existence: it "remains" in memory by "vanishing." With each use, the giver is remembered; when it is used up, existence is sublimated from object to memory.

7. The Ethics of Novelty — The Boundary Between Gift and Promotion

When we view novelty goods as proof of existence, several ethical questions emerge.

Does "pure gift-giving" exist?

When companies distribute novelty goods, the ultimate purpose is profit. Can this be called a "pure gift"?

In The Gift, anthropologist Marcel Mauss argued that purely altruistic gift-giving does not exist. All gifts carry an expectation of reciprocity. However, this does not render gift-giving meaningless.

What matters is how the recipient feels. Do they feel "manipulated" or "valued"? — that distinction determines whether a novelty succeeds or fails.

Environmental considerations

Mass distribution of novelty goods carries an environmental cost. Pearl Soap is biodegradable and more environmentally friendly than petroleum-derived plastic novelty goods, but manufacturing and shipping still require energy.

The principle of "the right amount, to the right people" should apply to novelty goods as well.

Avoiding imposition

Pearl Soap functions as a "gift economy" precisely because it is not forced upon anyone. Given to those who want it, when they want it, by hand. This voluntary quality distinguishes a gift from a promotional item.

Practicing circular packaging

Pearl Soap is packaged in organza drawstring pouches and OPP bags (polypropylene bags). These could become waste after use — if we champion the SDGs, we must confront this issue.

Why we use OPP bags — balancing ideals and reality

OPP bags are made of polypropylene — a petroleum-derived plastic. They are not biodegradable. From an SDGs perspective, they are not an ideal material.

However, when we distributed soap without OPP bags on Maui, the daytime temperatures caused the soap to melt and stain recipients' pockets. Pursuing the ideal of 100% natural materials at the cost of inconveniencing others defeats the purpose.

After careful deliberation, we arrived at the stance of "drawing a line and doing everything we can within it." Our reasons for choosing OPP bags are as follows:

Perfect sustainability does not exist. What matters is recognizing trade-offs, explaining them transparently, and continuing to improve.

Our initiatives

If we use the word "sustainable," we must demonstrate it through action. At the same time, we must honestly acknowledge what we cannot yet do. That is what the SDGs truly mean.

8. Multiple Perspectives — Novelty Goods and Proof of Existence

Let us organize the relationship between novelty goods and proof of existence from multiple perspectives.

Marketing perspective

From a marketing standpoint, novelty goods are tools for "brand awareness" and "customer relationship management." Emotionally resonant novelty goods like Pearl Soap may have a greater impact than conventional promotional items.

Sociological perspective

From the sociology of gift-giving, novelty goods are tools that form and maintain "social bonds." The acts of giving and receiving make relationships between people visible and strengthen them.

Ontological perspective

From the perspective of proof of existence, novelty goods are tools that leave the trace "I (the giver) was here" in the recipient's memory. The object may vanish, but the memory endures.

Critical perspective

On the other hand, the following critiques should also be considered:

These critiques are valid, and excessive dependence on novelty goods should be avoided. However, the history of humans expressing relationships through "objects" is long, and there is no need to deny the practice itself.

9. TokiStorage and Pearl Soap — A Dual Structure of Proof of Existence

TokiStorage and Pearl Soap are different forms of proof of existence, born from the same sentiment.

Contrasting timescales

Contrasting materials

A shared sentiment

Yet the sentiment underlying both is the same. Gratitude toward our beloved dog Pearl — "Thank you for being here." The wish never to forget that a cherished being "was here."

When the person who receives Pearl Soap resonates with that sentiment and in turn wishes to give something to someone dear to them — that chain reaction is the essence of the gift economy.

Pearl Soap is "today's proof of existence"; TokiStorage is "proof of existence for 1,000 years." Their timescales differ, but the sentiment — "never forgetting a cherished existence" — is shared.

Conclusion — What a Vanishing Gift Leaves Behind

Novelty goods are generally regarded as "consumable promotional items." However, as we have seen in this essay, exceptional novelty goods possess functions that transcend mere promotion.

Pearl Soap, through its paw-pad shape, handmade production, and gift-economy distribution model, stands apart from ordinary novelty goods. With each use, the giver is remembered; when the soap is gone, existence migrates from object to memory.

A consumable that nonetheless leaves a relationship behind. Something that physically vanishes yet lives on in memory. This is "the aesthetics of vanishing" and "the paradox of proof of existence."

"The soap will vanish. But if, each time you use it, you remember me — then I continue to exist within you."

Not all novelty goods possess this function. Mass-produced, mass-distributed, impersonal novelty goods leave behind nothing but environmental burden, not memories.

However, novelty goods crafted with care and handed over within the context of a relationship can become a form of proof of existence. They are not permanent records, but they make relationships between people visible and, even if temporarily, strengthen them.

Those who preserve, those who do not; those who give, those who do not — each person's choice is respected. What matters is being conscious of "why you give" and "what you wish to convey."

Pearl Soap offers one answer. But it is not the only answer. Your own "proof of existence" is something you must discover for yourself.

References

  • Mauss, M. (1925). Essai sur le don. [The Gift]
  • Godbout, J. T. (1992). L'Esprit du don. La Découverte. [The World of the Gift]
  • Cialdini, R. B. (1984). Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. William Morrow.
  • Pine, B. J. & Gilmore, J. H. (1999). The Experience Economy. Harvard Business School Press.
  • Herz, R. S. (2004). A Naturalistic Analysis of Autobiographical Memories Triggered by Olfactory Visual and Auditory Stimuli. Chemical Senses, 29(3), 217-224.
  • Promotional Products Association International. (2023). Consumer Study: The Impact of Promotional Products.