SWAG
Good swag earns a place in someone’s everyday life… but cheap swag creates a cheap impression. Brand awareness is never about slapping a logo on a cheap phone case. It’s about creating a lasting, high-quality feeling through items people actually want to keep and wear.
My philosophy on swag is simple: If a gift feels disposable, so does the brand.
Whether it is premium North Face jackets or those iconic Betabrand hoodies that I STILL see at adtech conferences years after the AdColony brand itself retired, you don’t need to gift a branded set of AirPods to every lead to win them over, but you do need to show there’s real thought put into what you do.
Sometimes that means a perfectly timed hoodie… and sometimes it means re-finishing the Dentsu LA custom pool table with a giant rocket on it to ensure our brand was literally the center of the room. Balance is key.
Apparel
Branded apparel that people enjoy wearing beyond the exchange, from custom T-shirts and hoodies to premium jackets, vests, and sneakers. Great wearable swag helps build company pride and a shared culture, giving people something they’re excited to wear and show off.
Event Swag
Thoughtful takeaways that bring a campaign or event to life, from sunglasses and beach towels designed to be useful long after Cannes to cozy hats and scarves for a chilly London Casual Connect, or a custom shirt that becomes a favorite long after the event.
Customer Exclusive Stores
Not every meeting is built face-to-face. During COVID, customer-exclusive stores let us bring thoughtful, branded gifts to clients wherever they were, including blue-light glasses, cozy sweatpants, tea sets, and more. Each store offered a curated selection customers could choose from and have delivered directly. They were so effective and so popular that I’d consider it a standard practice now.