- Hannah Morgan
take the product. Please?
At a recent conference I attended I watched as some companies couldn’t hand out any of their booth’s swag, while others were practically shoving it into attendee’s arms. As a marketer of promotional products I couldn’t help but shutter.
The reason companies give swag away is because it increases brand awareness, drives people to the booth, and makes them happy to receive something. However, if attendees don’t want your product or swag, it’s not increasing or benefiting as desired. Simply put, it only creates more work for you cleaning up after the event.
What now?
Up the Ante
Instead of handing out multiple pencil holders, you know who you are, get a handful of travel packs. Hold a competition or game and though less people are winners, the ultimate prize is something people want and will use.
Increase Desire
As the saying goes. If everyone’s special, then nobody is. Obviously, you can’t turn people away or smack their hands as they go to grab a bracelet, that would only make them hate you. Which is the opposite effect wanted. But you can make everyone who comes to your booth feel special.
The simplest way to fix this dreaded saying is to make winnings time sensitive. The first ten people will receive $100 gift cards, the next $20, and so forth. Everyone’s a winner, but some more than others.
Make it Fun
Pin wheels are so 1950. Unless your market is are targeting baby boomers, you need to evolve. People come to your event to connect and network with the latest and largest companies. Let’s help them achieve their goals and make them remember you at the same time.
The greatest idea I have yet to see was two years ago at an outdoor gear event:
The company was Nikwax and they sell a product designed to wash your expensive outdoor rainproof gear. They handed out one of three different colored stickers to everyone that came by their booth.
One had a picture of a jacket, another, a picture of a washing machine, and the last, a picture of their Nikwax product. If you wanted to pick a valued product from the booth then you had to find other people at the event with a different sticker than you and come up as a trio to select prizes.
Their game was off the hook, so much so, they ran out of product within the first hour.
(Dramatic inhale!)
What this means for you is that you can expect the CEO of Google to show up with a recent hire of Vivint and the CMO of Sundance to win all but three Yeti Coolers with your company logo stretched across the front within the first thirty minutes of the event starting.
**Do not try any of these methods at work unless success is key