We’ve all been there before. You arrive at a work event (you know, when that was common) and upon exit, you’re handed a gift bag that is full of branded merchandise. You smile and say thank you, knowing full well that it’s going to be stocked with large logos on all manner of cheap plastic trinkets. Half of it goes in the garbage immediately and the other half gets given to your kids. Unfortunately, none of it sees the light of day again. Clearly, that’s not strategic swag.
Gifting as a way of building relationships is as old as culture itself.
The market is awash with swag that gives little thought to your brand and the stronger relationship it seeks. With every thoughtless piece of merchandise, brands are diminished and recipients are disrespected.
What a missed opportunity to actually add some value in the relationship. That’s what inspired Mark Jackson, Founder of Promotion Resource Group to start his company. Dedicated to stopping the sinking feeling of “not another useless piece of shit” in the swag business, Mark makes magic happen. He does this by understanding recipient and client needs, responding creatively with product and unboxing impact to make an emotional connection.
Breaking Through the Bustle
Despite the “trinkets and trash” reputation, branded merchandise can be an extremely powerful medium. Currently, most people really aren’t leveraging the capability and solving problems – they’re “checking the box.” So, as a result, the products that are bought are quite often misaligned with the campaign objectives or recipient demographics. Or even worse, the buyer is biased in terms of what they like or seeking “what’s trendy.” That kind of thinking is just so inadequate for your marketing investment, especially now.
Take an ordinary product that anyone and everyone can get and transform it into a unique experience that no one can emulate.
You need to really start with the problem, not the product. Nobody should be saying, “I need some pens for my team.” Rather, many smart leaders are asking “how do I keep our workforce engaged through all of this turmoil?” That’s the question you need to be sharing with your promotional marketing agency. Most leaders realize they need to buy PPE for their team in Edmonton. But the real question is “how do we create a safe, secure and comfortable work environment for our team?” That’s where the real opportunity lives.
Don’t start with a product pitch to clients, which is often pushed by the swag supplier base overseas. Most merch teams talk product first. This is exactly the wrong thing to do and it’s been a long standing problem in the industry.
Getting to Strategic Swag: The Process
Mark’s team deploys a specific process to engage with clients to better understand their needs. It’s how strategic swag happens. It’s what most marketers would do for any campaign but it’s often missed when “simply” selecting swag.
To begin, you’re imagining yourself, as the recipient by literally closing your eyes and walking through that person’s day. From the moment they hit the snooze button on their phone to missing meetings, running here… running there… looking for keys, or any other challenges that they’re experiencing. Mark’s team does this right to the last moment when the recipient or audience lays their heads on the pillow.
By creating a deep connection and creating that imagination, it becomes easier to realize that you’re planning branded merchandise for someone. It becomes an extremely powerful planning tool because it creates a connection and an empathy to your audience. At the end of the day, this process drills down to answer the primary element of “how do we want the recipient to feel.”
Answering the 5Ws of Strategic Swag
Who – Start with the basics. Who are you trying to reach? Understand everything about them!
What – What is the goal? What are you trying to accomplish? Get it clearly defined so you know when you’ve accomplished your goal.
Where – Where is the audience going to be? Is that going to play a role in how you should reach out to them?
When – What’s the time of year this is happening? What’s going on in the world? What do you need to be mindful of?
Why – Why does it matter that you get this right? What’s at stake? Why is it important to make a powerful connection?
So many businesses are focused on whether they are in a B2B or a B2C market. They’re missing something pretty fundamental when asking that question. Rather, it’s H2H.
Make a human to human connection and you’re primed to succeed.
One of the most performance-focused, winning campaigns that Mark has delivered on is with the CIBC Run for the Cure. This collection of merchandise is elegantly branded, high quality and useful for everyday life. Sold in branches, it resonates with people across the country since they want to buy it, they want to align with the Run and to support the cause. It has generated millions of dollars over the years and is making a real impact.
The Future of Strategic Swag in a COVID World
Yes, budgets are compressed and many think it is not appropriate to send something to your team or your client network right now. But we’ve all been through this before in 2008. We know the people who market and connect are going to be stronger coming out of the other end.
Gifting now is going to mean the most to every single one of your recipients since we’re all living in a touchless world. We all need a connection. Whether with new employee on-boarding kits, stay at home office supply refreshes or simply as a surprise and delight opportunity for some fun. Everyone is equally shut down right now so this opportunity is wide open for you right now to win new business. Nobody else is marketing to your lapsed clients on a one-to-one basis right now. No one. So there’s a huge opportunity to reconnect; surprisingly, you can do so at their homes. On a recent campaign, over 75% of lapsed clients for a client immediately gave their home addresses on the first ask. On the second push, it’s was pretty close to 100%. That would have never happened last year.
Reach Out and Touch Someone
We all now have a vulnerable authenticity due to COVID. It has created a deep connection to people that were a little bit arm’s length or “professional.” We all want to seem real and authentic and connected to our clients. We’re all getting closer and becoming more human in our interactions.
Whether it’s your teams, your audience, your clients: their walls are down right now.
They’re going to go back up over time. They may not go back up all the way, but now is a time to move in to make an emotional connection. Make a more lasting and more permanent relationship today. This is an opportunity like we’ve never ever had before, and may never have again. We know the people who are going to be the most successful are those who deeply engage with their communities and their teams today.
In Partnership With
Mark Jackson is the Founder (aka Head Swag Sommelier) of Promotion Resource Group. Mark focuses on taking the time to marry a brand story with something that is relevant and compelling for its audience. For nearly 30 years, Mark has coached his clients to make a human to human emotional connection so they’re primed to succeed.
Tim Bishop, CM is a multi-disciplined executive with a proven record of optimizing strategic efforts to expand the influence of leading organizations, such as the Canadian Marketing Association, Cineplex Entertainment, Lavalife.com, IMI International and Northstar Research Partners. In Partnership With is his latest focus to curate Canadian marketing experts to celebrate the power of strategic partnerships in a perspective-based content series.