How To Advertise Your Company Using SWAG Marketing

FACT: At some point in your life, you’ve received a free pen given to you by a company representative. Actually, you have probably received whistles, tape measures, stress balls, pins, hats, USB keys, mugs, key chains etc, as well. Pretty much anything that can be stamped with a corporate logo has been used for promotional marketing (aka swag marketing). There is a reason behind this madness; it works.

Don’t get SWAG confused with SWAGGER; we are not talking about a Jay-Z & T.I. song featuring Kanye West and Lil Wayne. We are talking about the SWAG you get at conferences, meetings, and occasionally the hotels rooms that you stay in (those towels don’t count by the way). For the definition of swag we turn to the always ‘reliable’ Wikipedia:

“Promotional merchandise, promotional items, promotional products, promotional gifts, or advertising gifts, sometimes nicknamed swag or schwag, are articles of merchandise (often branded with a logo) used in marketing and communication programs.”

A study by the Promotional Products Association International revealed the effectiveness of swag; 94% of those polled said they could recall a promotional product they received in the past two years & 83% said they liked receiving promotional products (who doesn’t like free stuff?). 69% said they kept promotional products in their offices or homes. Compared to online ads, 20% said they made a purchase after receiving a promotional item, vs. the 4% that made a purchase after viewing an ad online!

Swag can go beyond basic promotional items, as is demonstrated by a clever company in Oklahoma produces business cards that can transform into a variety of objects including tiny catapults and penny shooters.

But the best part of promotional marketing (beyond the higher penetration rate, ad recall, and exposure time) is the fact that whenever someone uses your swag, you get free advertising! The most useful, and social the swag, the more exposure you will get.

So now that you know the benefits of promotional marketing, don't get the wrong swag. Pens, pencils, and stickers are a great way of telling people that you are unoriginal. If you want to stand out from the crowd, try handing out some Custom Pocket Tissue. Useful, elegant, and cheap, Pocket Tissues are like tiny billboards that you can hand out. They stay in pockets and purses for extended exposure and are useful to 99.99% of the population. Target flu seasons, allergy seasons, food festivals or anything else; the potential is endless. Don't let your competitors beat you to the punch.

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Gorilla Punch Marketing is an advertising firm located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. We specialize in unconventional, cost effective forms of advertising. Our current focus is on Custom, Full-Coloured Pocket Sized Tissue Packs. Visit our site www.GorillaPunchMarketing for more information. Copyright 2012, All Rights Reserved.