I used to be a swag dealer.
For years, I pushed stress balls, branded pens, and USB drives that nobody wanted. I told myself I was "building brands" while filling storage closets with forgotten tchotchkes.
Then I had my come-to-Jesus moment.
The promotional products industry is worth $27 billion. That's huge. And 99% of it is complete garbage.
The industry has convinced us that more is better. That cheaper is smarter. That slapping a logo on anything counts as marketing.
It doesn't.
Every piece of forgettable swag is a missed opportunity. Worse, it's actively eroding the brand equity your company worked so hard to build.
The branded stress balls were landing in junk drawers.
The tote bags were collecting dust.
The USB drives were probably being used to store someone else's vacation photos.
We were literally diluting the brand.
Instead of ordering bulk pens by the thousands, we need to shift to "intelligent merchandise." Physical items that tell stories, not just slap logos.
Take Dollar Shave Club. Their boxes aren't packaging…they're witty, collectible experiences that fans share online. People literally post unboxing videos.
Our clients did something similar. Custom notebooks with their brand's origin story printed inside the cover. Clients started using them in meetings. "Where'd you get that?" became the new lead generation tool.
When you hand someone a $3 stress ball, you're telling them they're worth $3 to your company. When you create something thoughtful, you're saying they matter.
Let's burn the old swag playbook and build something better:
- Rule #1: Kill the word "swag." It's code for cheap junk with logos.
- Rule #2: If it doesn't tell your story, don't make it.
- Rule #3: Would you pay for this if it didn't have your logo? If not, scrap it.
- Rule #4: Measure meaning, not volume.
The promotional products industry has been lying to us. They've built a multi-billion dollar empire on the idea that branded tchotchkes equal brand building.
They don't.
I was complicit in this system for years. I thought volume meant value. I thought presence meant preference.
I was wrong.
The best brands don't give you more stuff. They give you better experiences. They earn space in your life, not just your junk drawer.
If you're still handing out generic promo junk, you're not building your brand. You're training people to throw away anything with your logo on it.
What's the worst piece of branded "swag" you've ever received? And more importantly, what made it so forgettable (maybe you don’t remember it…I guess that’s the point)?
Because until we acknowledge the problem, we can't fix it.
Time to declare war on swag.
Not because I hate branded merchandise, but because I love what it can become.
