SWAG (A Blog Series on Promotional Products)
- Thorne, Heidi
- Mar 20, 2024
- 5 min read
WHAT IS SWAG?
What does the term “swag” mean? Actually, it’s an acronym for…
Stuff We All Get,
Souvenirs,
Wearables And Gifts,
Awards,
Giveaways
"Sealed With A Gift"
Swag can also be referred to as…
However, you define it, the term “swag” refers to any product that has a logo, message, tagline or some form of personalization on it, usually with the intent of advertising a business, event, association, team, person or cause.
Promotional products have one important attribute that trumps all other forms of advertising... staying power. Some promotional products are retained by recipients for decades. In fact, I have a letter opener that I received from a client in 1998. Better yet, I think about that client whenever I use it.
Swag is generally easy to buy. And it is easy to make mistakes when buying. Those mistakes can be costly, not just in terms of dollars, but in terms of your image and brand. So, what we will discuss here is how to buy it right! We will first explain the "Promo with Purpose" way to choose promotional products. Then we will review some of the pitfalls of promotional products and how to avoid them, special issues relating to events and tradeshows, as well as green buying strategies. Lastly, we will wrap it up with a how-to advice for purchasing swag.
But it all begins with purpose…
THE WAY TO BUY SWAG "Promo with Purpose"
Why do you even want to use promotional products anyway? I’ll bet if I asked people to honestly answer this question, I would get responses like these:
“Because we’ve always used ‘em.”
“Aren’t they expecting to get stuff from us?”
“I want one of these for myself.”
“We want them to remember us.”
The first three answers? Not legitimate reasons for buying... Last answer? Valid, but does not go far enough.
Over the years of being a promotional products marketing consultant, I realized that many people had no clue why they were buying these promos. So that is why I developed the “Promo with Purpose” concept to give marketers and business owners the thought roadmap to selecting the right promotion for the purpose at hand.
What the "Promo with Purpose" concept does is answer the who, what, why, where, when and how for promotional products buying. Be aware that all of the following factors can change over time for both you and your customers. So, revisiting the process can be helpful at critical junctures, or even annually, to make sure your promotions are continuing to be effective.
The most important of them is why.
WHY
Before you buy any promotional product, you must begin with what purpose you want that product to serve. Your purpose could be any of the following:
To make our logo and organization name visible on the tradeshow floor.
To incentivize people to join our program or buy from us.
To thank customers for their business.
To educate the public on an important issue.
To get my name visible in the community so they will vote for me.
To get the word out about our upcoming event.
Notice how each of these statements begins with the word “to.” So, to begin the thought process for your next purchase, complete this statement:
“I want to use promotional products to ______________.”
This is your why.
WHO
There are actually two things that you need to consider regarding Who when buying promotional products: Who you are and who your recipients are. Why is this important?
Let’s start with who you are. Be completely honest and answer with who you are, not who you wish you were.
What type of organization are you? Are you a company, association, non-profit, entertainer, event planner, tradeshow producer, entrepreneur, team, political party or candidate, municipality, government agency, hospital, college, etc.? This is probably the easiest of the questions.
What word or words would people use to describe your organization? Are you friendly, caring, innovative, creative, fun, tech-savvy, tough, or efficient? I’m betting that many of you have never thought about this question.
What are your values? Do you value security, freedom, love, learning, power, health, adventure, creativity, etc.?
Who are your organization’s members? This may encompass many different groups. List all the major ones. What type of people are they? Hardworking, talented, creative, etc.?
Who are the key decision makers in a promotional products purchase? I have found that this is often a key determinant of what gets purchased.
Now we will talk about who your recipients are.
Do you serve a business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-consumer (B2C) market?
What type of organizations make up your market? Are they companies, associations, non-profits, government agencies, healthcare providers, families, teenagers and young adults, seniors, athletes, students, colleges, etc.?
Who are the key purchasers who decide what to buy and who to buy from? As illogical as it sounds, sometimes this may be difficult to assess. I have worked in B2B markets where my customers ranged from administrative assistants all the way up to company ownership. B2C markets can be just as sticky! For instance, in family-run businesses, the person who decides to spend the money may not be the person who decides what is actually purchased.
What word or words would you use to describe your market? Impatient, happy, adventurous, status quo, nitpicky, hardworking, cheap, elegant, fun, etc.?
What work or activities does your market do for a living? Plumbing, daycare, go to school, insurance, family care, sports, leisure, etc.?
What environments do your customers spend most of their days? Are they in their cars, at home, in an office, on a factory floor, etc.? For some markets, it may be more important to know where your customers spend their leisure time. Is it traveling, on a golf course, in their gardens, at playgrounds, etc.?
What are your market’s values? Granted it changes from customer to customer. But you are going to look for any values that seem to be common to the majority of them. Consider the same values that you would for your own organization: security, freedom, love, learning, adventure, health, power, etc.? This is not something you typically discuss with them. You will have to watch behaviors to assess.
What hobbies or leisure activities do they pursue? Important for both B2B and B2C. Do they golf, travel, go to the movies, go to nightclubs or bars, enjoy spending time with children or pets, etc.? Again, this changes from person to person. But you may know of some common interests that seem to be important to many of them. What all these questions help determine is what are the triggers that encourage your customers to buy and to buy from you.
WHERE
In the next blog we will discuss the significance of the "where". As with the “who” question, there are two things to consider when purchasing a promotional product...
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