This was a great read and articulated how I feel every time I get swag. I’ve received paperweights before and I think I would have enjoyed probably literally anything else more 😅
Having been to these conferences, I think if a company doesn’t have budget for “good” swag, it’s better if they skip it and figure out other ways to raise brand awareness. The company branded merch isn’t doing its thing if it ends up in the trash.
Love this Christina. I think when you've had swag that *does* speak to you, you really do see the contrast of merch that's just...stuff. I still smile when I think about how in the early days of covid, Capital One randomly sent a bunch of its cardholders a small swag kit. It had some ground coffee (a nod to their Peet's coffee relationship), a bag of snacks, a beanie, an insulated tumbler, and a note basically saying, "Hey — times are hard right now, and we're thinking of you."
It wasn't personalized, but the thought was there and I felt it. I drank the coffee, ate the snacks, tossed the beanie in my car as a backup for cold days, and used the tumbler all the time. But mostly I thought, "damn, at least one person at Capital One thought that showing a little care for their customers was a good idea."
And I think that's a perfect example of what swag can and should aim for.
And that’s the aim with all this?? When you see people stuff, or when you hope they’ll pick up the items from your booth. You want them to feel like this is worth something. That it connects. I just feel like that afterthought lazy approach almost makes it not even worth spending the money.
100%! It's like the opposite of "it's the thought that counts" — it's a nice idea to send/gift swag, but if you're not going to take any time to get something nice...why bother?
Yes! Intentional gift giving is where it’s at. The audience you are catering to need to feel like they’re a part of your story, too. I used to work as a content marketer for a health and wellness supplement company, and their shirts that had a quip and made me chuckle are the ones I still wear to this day. One because it’s good quality, and 2, I’ve had great holistic wellness conversations because someone saw the shirt and could relate!
Yessss! Very similar to my hoodie story. If there’s more work done in the beginning to make the swag a bit more meaningful then that effort would go a lot further and bring in better ROI.
Swag is something we all get and all have opinions on—about time we had better direction how to get it right! I have more than enough branded moleskines!
Love this comment in particular: "We’ve confused 'sending something' with 'delighting someone.'" Don't conflate them!!
Hi Christina! I found your Substack through LinkedIn! This was an interesting read and I can't wait for your other posts
Hi!! This was such a nice note, thank you!
This was a great read and articulated how I feel every time I get swag. I’ve received paperweights before and I think I would have enjoyed probably literally anything else more 😅
Having been to these conferences, I think if a company doesn’t have budget for “good” swag, it’s better if they skip it and figure out other ways to raise brand awareness. The company branded merch isn’t doing its thing if it ends up in the trash.
Wait, like actual paperweight??? NOT EVEN A NOTEBOOK? I’m dying!
Yep, a company I worked for sent us all branded, personalized paperweights. At an all-remote company. Straight in the trash.
They were really trying to show that they didn’t give a sheet.
They really did not. The stories I could tell. 🥴
Love this Christina. I think when you've had swag that *does* speak to you, you really do see the contrast of merch that's just...stuff. I still smile when I think about how in the early days of covid, Capital One randomly sent a bunch of its cardholders a small swag kit. It had some ground coffee (a nod to their Peet's coffee relationship), a bag of snacks, a beanie, an insulated tumbler, and a note basically saying, "Hey — times are hard right now, and we're thinking of you."
It wasn't personalized, but the thought was there and I felt it. I drank the coffee, ate the snacks, tossed the beanie in my car as a backup for cold days, and used the tumbler all the time. But mostly I thought, "damn, at least one person at Capital One thought that showing a little care for their customers was a good idea."
And I think that's a perfect example of what swag can and should aim for.
And that’s the aim with all this?? When you see people stuff, or when you hope they’ll pick up the items from your booth. You want them to feel like this is worth something. That it connects. I just feel like that afterthought lazy approach almost makes it not even worth spending the money.
100%! It's like the opposite of "it's the thought that counts" — it's a nice idea to send/gift swag, but if you're not going to take any time to get something nice...why bother?
Yes! Intentional gift giving is where it’s at. The audience you are catering to need to feel like they’re a part of your story, too. I used to work as a content marketer for a health and wellness supplement company, and their shirts that had a quip and made me chuckle are the ones I still wear to this day. One because it’s good quality, and 2, I’ve had great holistic wellness conversations because someone saw the shirt and could relate!
Yessss! Very similar to my hoodie story. If there’s more work done in the beginning to make the swag a bit more meaningful then that effort would go a lot further and bring in better ROI.
Swag is something we all get and all have opinions on—about time we had better direction how to get it right! I have more than enough branded moleskines!
Love this comment in particular: "We’ve confused 'sending something' with 'delighting someone.'" Don't conflate them!!