- \n
- The first is that the swag, which was meant to be a means of branding and exposure, is not doing it\u2019s job. It\u2019s burning a hole in the company\u2019s pocket.<\/li>\n
- The second: seemingly every startup handles production of their swag the same way; by simply giving it away, but startups are supposed to be different and disruptive by their very nature.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Careless swag management is irresponsible for any company; but it\u2019s particularly problematic for startups that often work with a very limited marketing budget.<\/p>\n
The Office\u2019s Michael Scott, the world\u2019s best boss, said SWAG is 'stuff we all get<\/a>'\u00a0and from an economic standpoint, that\u2019s precisely the issue. The more something is produced (and then simply given away), the lower the value of the item goes. The supply of branded startup swag is a plenty, so the demand is down.<\/p>\n
People expect to get freebies like T-shirts and beverage koozies, so it\u2019s not all that exciting when they actually do.<\/p>\n
As a business, you want to establish a certain amount of familiarity with your audience and not reinvent the wheel in every aspect, but there are also certain things you\u2019ll want to do boldly and differently.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
At Spinnakr<\/a>, we decided if we were going to produce branded swag, it had to be a digital-meets-physical campaign and have some bigger than average value.<\/p>\n
Extending the Lifecycle Value of Branded Swag: Freebies are not free<\/h3>\n
In an effort to avoid the typically short-lived swag lifecycle (freebie, real-life exposure, word of mouth generation), we\u2019ve jump started a new lifecycle that\u2019s more effective in the fluid, digital world.<\/p>\n
Much like our brand aims to deliver targeted messages<\/a> to specific visitor segments of a website, our swag delivers a pretty pair of blue shades to a specific group of tech-interested individuals, which creates online and in-person exposure to relevant networks of people, and finally generates word-of-mouth engagement not only in real life, but also in the vast online world we inhabit.<\/p>\n
![\"spinnakrshadessharingtwitter\"](\"http:\/\/www.smartinsights.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/spinnakrshadessharingtwitter.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nWe\u2019ve turned our branded swag into an engaging process in which our customers and fans inevitably get in touch over social media to get their hands on a pair of Spinnakr Shades<\/a>.<\/p>\n
In a way, we\u2019re gamifying the swag game. Here\u2019s how it works:<\/p>\n
Spinnakr Twitter campaign using SWAG<\/h3>\n
There are two ways for customers and Spinnakr fans to get a pair of Spinnakr shades:<\/span><\/p>\n
- \n
- First, when customers complete their registration on our site, they\u2019re prompted to tweet at us for a pair of Spinnakr shades. Clicking the 'tweet' button pulls up a pre-populated tweet that mentions the @Spinnakr handle.<\/li>\n
- Alternatively, if a potential customer or fan happens to find our Shades of Fame<\/a> page while looking through the site (there only link is on our jobs page), they can request a pair using the tweet button, which pulls up the same pre-populated tweet as above.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
How does it work?<\/strong><\/p>\n
- \n
- When we get shades requests on Twitter, we 'follow' the customer and ask them to DM us their mailing address. To DM us, they must follow us, too. It\u2019s a win-win.<\/li>\n
- When a customer\u2019s shades arrive, there\u2019s a sticker on the packaging that asks them to tweet us a photo wearing their shades.<\/li>\n
- When they tweet us, it provides yet another opportunity for interaction.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"Spinnakrshadestweet\"](\"http:\/\/www.smartinsights.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Spinnakrshadestweet.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n- \n
- Many customers Spinnakr Shades photos will end up on our Shades of Fame website.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Cataloging a Network of Supporters<\/h3>\n
Through this process, we\u2019re not only gaining social exposure, but we\u2019re creating an extended network of supporters and brand champions. Among them: Mayor Vincent Gray of Washington, D.C., Former Mayor of DC, Adrian Fenty, Congresswoman Anna Eshoo of California\u2019s 18th Congressional District (Silicon Valley), and 500 Startups\u2019 Dave McClure. As well, we\u2019re proud to boast a catalog of supporters from DC\u2019s tech community as well as active players in Silicon Valley.<\/p>\n
![\"spinnakrshades\"](\"http:\/\/www.smartinsights.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/spinnakrshades-600x242.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThough our idea was simple to use various digital marketing mechanics to get the most out of the monetary costs of our swag,it has provided us much more value than we had expected.<\/p>\n
With our tweet-and-engage process, we\u2019re accessing different sections of the social-viral loop, we\u2019re creating a physical and digital buzz and demand for our brand and product, and finally, we\u2019re creatively extending our inherent brand messaging.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
As a company, Spinnakr believes that individuals are different, thus they should be able to express themselves in the manner that best suits them.<\/p>\n
Connecting with our customers and fans on a public forum like Twitter, then posting their photos to our Spinnakr Shades website lets them communicate a message about themselves on an individual basis.<\/p>\n
The way we wrap our customers and fans up in our marketing campaign lets them become part of our brand\u2019s story.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
In Marketing, Do as your Startup does: Be Disruptive<\/h3>\n
Marketing is a creative endeavour. Sure, there are formulas and best practices to follow, but at the end of the day, the brands who make headlines are those who think outside the box and truly make a statement.<\/p>\n
Though branded swag seems like small part of a company, we need to understand that every aspect of your business is an overall extension of the business\u2019s message, so make it count.<\/p>\n
As with most things, you will surely be rewarded for going the extra mile, for sticking your neck out, and for producing something truly creative. In short, your marketing goals should run parallel to your company's goals: to be disruptive and bring something different to the table.<\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/m.c.lnkd.licdn.com\/mpr\/pub\/image-uL4jU_NfawXMZ_aC_kRsxMnC5bkQYkYdoP4olpn8W3klivSnyPpD8_nUhAPQRUGGc_\/rishon-roberts.jpg\")
Thanks to Rishon Roberts for sharing her advice and opinions in this blog post. Rishon is the Marketing Manager\u00a0at\u00a0Spinnakr<\/a>,\u00a0a new kind of analytics that takes action for you. She'd love to connect with you on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0or LinkedIn.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"How a new analytics company use Branded Swag to integrate the digital and physical marketing worlds How big is your stockpile of branded startup T-shirts? Chances are most of them are collecting dust somewhere in the back of your closet. …..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":96,"featured_media":30492,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_glsr_average":0,"_glsr_ranking":0,"_glsr_reviews":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[410],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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- Many customers Spinnakr Shades photos will end up on our Shades of Fame website.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n