The definition of freebie is an easy one to grasp. The term is used to name something that is given to someone for free, without them having to pay for it. The world itself is almost self-explanatory, although it can be confused with giveaways.
Comparisons
The difference between the two is that a freebie is given completely free of charge, as a welcome gesture, a promotional tool or to generate brand awareness. A giveaway may not always be free – you usually have to take some kind of action to receive it. This could be entering a competition or a raffle. Sometimes a giveaway will be given to you after attending an event, such as a product launch, but without attending you would not be entitled to the giveaway, hence the action a giveaway requires.
Examples Of Where The Term Is Used
Like we touched on before, a freebie can be given out for a number of different reasons. Often, a freebie is given as a way of attracting new clients, promoting a new product or simply to boost brand awareness. Freebies can be given in a variety of different forms, and can also be used in contexts other than as a promotional tool. Freebies relates to anything, be it a written document or an actual product, which is given to someone for free.
To help you get a better understanding, here are a few different examples:
When Coca Cola launches or redesigns a product they set out to provide freebies to any potential customers. These freebies actually include their logo or it may just be a sample of the product they are trying to promote.
Design companies often accompany their services with the bonus of a freebie. An instance of where this has happened is when the company Vistaprint offers clients a free cardholder when they order their business cards.
Supermarkets also do a good job of using freebies to their own advantage by dishing out freebie foods to get people hooked to upcoming or in-store food brands.
As you can see, the term freebie can be used in many different contexts. However, the definition of the word never changes and no matter how or why a freebie is being used or given out, it will always be free of charge.