A bottle of ketchup might not be suitable for stuffing stockings, but how about a golf putter in the shape of a Heinz pickle?

Rather than tempting fate -- and the dog -- by placing a wrapped Primanti Bros. sandwich under the tree, how about a T-shirt with the words "Eat Me" above the restaurant's insignia?

Promotional merchandise sold by companies in the region constitutes a small slice of the retail universe, but it's on display, nonetheless, everywhere from the new Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills in Frazer to the Strip District.

Firms as disparate as the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, with its PG Store, and the Latrobe-based brewers of Rolling Rock beer can help desperate Christmas shoppers send that timeless message: "Here's something from Pittsburgh!"

Marketing experts say it takes a special kind of company to generate revenue by wrapping a bow around itself. Companies that connect with consumers on an emotional level, such as merchandising king Harley-Davidson, are more likely to sell their gear than firms with reputations for being functional or even dependable, such as Pittsburgh's banking and manufacturing giants.

"It's the emotional side that excites us," said Peter Boatwright, a marketing professor at Carnegie Mellon University. "You're not going to wear a T-shirt just because you want to help out the big company Heinz, or support your local Primanti Bros. sandwich shop. It's something that the brand is giving the person."

In the case of the H.J. Heinz Company, it's a connection with the past, said Karen Horvath, merchandising manager for the Downtown-based company, which dates back to 1869.

Heinz, which started selling promotional items to its employees in the 1980s, opened a retail store at an outlet mall in Grove City in 1997. During 2003, Heinz opened a second store, selling gear from the 9th floor of its North American headquarters in the old Gimbels Building on Sixth Avenue.

The complete collection of "Heinz Stuff," as the company calls the merchandise on its Web site, includes roughly 150 items, including cookie jars, socks and model trains. The company does not release sales figures for its promotional merchandise, but a spokesman said the retail business is profitable.

The biggest seller is a red T-shirt with the classic Heinz Ketchup label. Ms. Horvath says that each year she orders between 8,000 and 10,000 of the T-shirts, many of which are sold at retail outlets around town.

Employees and retirees are among the largest groups of shoppers for the stores, said Ms. Horvath, but they're not alone. While the Christmas season is the sales peak at the Downtown store, the Grove City shop is busiest during back-to-school season, when traffic at the outlet mall is high.

The Heinz Store at Grove City is located in a free-standing building that looks like an old stone house, while the hallway across from the Downtown store is filled with mementos of Heinz history. The historical settings help sales, Ms. Horvath said, noting that sales weren't as brisk when the company opened kiosks in two area malls about five years ago.

"They [were] too small to accurately reflect the history and tradition of our merchandise," she said of the kiosks. "Customers today like nostalgia, so a lot of what we do is historical -- things with old-fashioned labels or designs."

At Lawrenceville-based Pittsburgh Brewing Co., spokesman Jeff Vavro said the historical link is key to sales of Iron City beer gear, too.

For years, the company had a retail store at the brewery. This summer, Iron City joined with Primanti's to open a store in the Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills called It's a 'Burgh Thing, a 2,000 square foot store that sells neither beer nor sandwiches, but celebrates two companies with a combined history of more than 210 years in the Pittsburgh area.

A tour of the mall last Friday showed that business at It's a 'Burgh Thing was far from brisk. A young woman who was buying an Iron City shirt for her boyfriend's father asked the young man to explain her complicated consumer logic.

"He likes the beer," the boyfriend said flatly.

In addition to the Iron City shop, three stores at the Galleria make a business of selling Pittsburgh gear, although all are dedicated to sports teams. The busiest by far was the Steelers Sideline Store, which sells everything from football jerseys to a pet set, including collar and leash.

"We haven't had a dog complain yet that they didn't like their Steelers items," said Tim Carey, merchandise manger for the Steelers.

The Steelers logo, of course, is based on the symbol for U.S. Steel. A company spokeswoman said the steel maker doesn't sell promotional merchandise, itself.

But another venerable metals company, Alcoa, does sell merchandise to the public. Employees account for the vast majority of sales for the company's eclectic mix of gear, including aluminum book marks and stainless steel travel mugs.

"We're multi-materials here," said spokesman Kevin Lowery.

While neither Alcoa nor U.S. Steel puts much energy into promotional merchandise, the companies might be able to translate their historical ties to the region into sales, if they wanted to, said Jeffrey Inman, a marketing professor at the University of Pittsburgh. Considering the Steelers association, the U.S. Steel logo has potential to tap into the same sort of rugged-individualism identity that helps sell gear for Harley-Davidson and even John Deere, said Mr. Inman.

While Mr. Inman has not given the gift of Heinz, Iron City or Steelers merchandise at the holidays, he heartily endorsed a related gift-giving strategy: Send consumer goods produced in Pittsburgh. From Sarris Chocolates and Mancini's Bread to Enrico's Biscotti, the region offers unique gifts that can reward the giver, as well.

"We buy the biscotti and send it to relatives in Baton Rouge, because they have nothing like it there," said Mr. Inman. "Plus, it's an excuse to buy some for ourselves."