Written by Talana Morris
We support many client events—from tradeshows to customer appreciation parties to air shows. The types of events and guests really run the gamut. One thing we’re often tasked with is coming up with ideas for swag/giveaway items. Since it’s something that comes up multiple times each year, we thought it would be helpful to provide some tips on selecting swag, show you an example of how we’ve done it for one client and share a few of our current favorite promo items.
Of course, you need to stick to a reasonable budget but be sure that whatever you’re putting your name on is appropriate for the event/audience (more on that below) and of good quality. For special events such as celebrating a company anniversary, it’s always nice to give clients some sort of gift to show your appreciation.
Production times vary widely for different products, from as fast as a 24-hour turnaround to as long as several weeks or more. Plan ahead and also remember that most production times are based on the final art being approved, so be sure to build in time to get the correct logo format and review artwork, colors, etc. And don’t forget shipping time!
The purpose of giving out promotional items with your logo is for your company to be remembered…so it’s ideal to come up with a practical product that will be used and kept around. Why waste money on something that’s just likely to get tossed into the trash bin of a conference exhibit hall or find its way into a kid’s toy box? Try to look for items that are substantial enough to be useful for a long time.
This is where you can really make an impact with your promotional items. Think about the demographics of your audience and try to find products that are a fit for them. The type of swag item you give may also depend upon the type of event you’re participating in.
Below is an example of how we’ve tailored swag choices for one client—a municipal airport—for whom we support several events throughout the year. The airport has three different target audiences: Air Show Performers, General Aviation Pilots and children.
For the Flights of Our Fathers Air Show & Fly-In hosted at Terrell Municipal Airport, we wanted to give our pilot performers something during the morning safety briefing they could use during the event. Many of the pilots are fellow Texans, so we want the items to be something to remember our airport in hopes they will come back to visit. It gets hot in the cockpit when you’re thousands of feet in the air doing acrobatics in September, so we went with these two options:
We also have several recreational pilots who fly into our events. Again, we want them to come back to Terrell Airport to purchase fuel or spend a day shopping at local stores, like Buc-ee’s or the outlet mall. Below are some of the items we’ve given to these visitors:
Many of the events hosted at the airport are geared towards kids, so we’re a big fan of giving out inexpensive, old-fashioned balsa glider airplanes. What kid doesn’t love throwing one of these around?
While the above aviation-related examples were given to demonstrate how you can choose your swag based on your audience and the event, the below is a quick list of some of our other favorite items that are practical and appropriate for almost any audience.
Need help thinking through your promotional item strategy or just want us to handle it for you? Contact us today.
