When someone comes home from a conference, meeting or event they likely have a pocketful of swag. When it comes to promotional products, you want the items to be more than just something for the attendees to set at their desks and forget about.
There are some noticeable gaps between what event planners are providing as swag and what the people who go to these gatherings actually want. In the end, your promotional products need to be well thought out and positioned to help the brand achieve more recognition. Let’s learn more about how to maximize the value of your promotional products at events.
The Value of Swag
The idea of swag or promotional products is not something new. Event planners have been using this method to boost brand awareness for years. In general, it’s a great, cost-effective marketing tool for hosts to increase their recognition. When used correctly, swag can be a good way to promote lead generation and event value.
Common swag can range from notebooks to pens and sticky notes and may also include hand sanitizer or keychains. Items like this can be produced in mass quantities for relatively cheap. In addition, these things can actually be useful to those who receive them. However, there are only so many keychains that someone can use without one being forgotten about. Event attendees today want more than that, and hosts need to meet these expectations. Not only does swag need to be unique, but it also needs to be useful and leave space for the brand logo.
Mistakes to Avoid
Event planners can’t use the same old swag used for years. There are also some serious mistakes that should be avoided when planning promotional products for your next conference, convention or event. Here are some examples of common mistakes marketing teams make when it comes to event swag:
The old reliable promotional items no longer cut it and your team will have to come up with new and creative solutions for your next event. Be sure to focus on your team’s end goal, whether it be brand exposure or promoting another event.
How to Have the Best Promotional Products
Now that you know some of the most common mistakes the brands make when it comes to promotional products, it’s time to get started with a modern take on swag. It may seem overwhelming, but creating something unique, functional and promotional — even on a budget — is possible. Your promotional branded products should look different than they did five years ago in order to have a chance at success.
For example, if an item is not as useful as a pen, it should make up for that with its aesthetic value. Come together with your team and plan which steps to success are most important to your attendees. Trade shows often prioritize sleek, functional items while other events might be geared more towards exciting, unique and shareworthy products. Luckily for you, your team does not have to tackle this project alone.
What is ARTISAN?
JTB knows that it can be hard to find the ideal promotional products for your event, which is why we have launched an online ARTISAN store in partnership with KAZAANA’s e-commerce platform. This is a great resource for event planners because it will make more than 1,200 traditional Japanese-crafted items from 34 brands. Not only this, but they are easily available for those who are buying from the United States.
From the JTB press release, Tetsuya Shibata, Marketing & Revenue Division GM at JTB USA Inc., said, “At JTB, we are on a mission to create perfect moments, always,” before continuing “Today, people can’t always travel to visit destinations like Japan, and, when they do, they don’t always have room in their suitcases to bring home keepsakes. By offering these traditional items through our ARTISAN store, we’re
furthering our mission by creating another path for Travelers or would-be Travelers to enjoy a perfect moment.”
We are working towards expanding this service to our group of companies in Canada and Brazil, while continuing to promote the creation of this system. Are you ready to learn more about how ARTISAN can benefit your company’s next event? Check out the store today.
