Hi all! 2 part question here:
Who are you using for promotional products/branded merch? Looking for a new partner to work with on branded swag/etc. for customers
What swag/gifts are you giving to your advocates that don't go right in the trash?
Asking my team. We used a couple of vendors for awards and branded merch/swag. Just can't remember who for the life of me. LOL. Once I have an answer, I'll repost here.
Honestly, from my experience, most swag of nominal value ends up in the trash. Hence why we leaned more into giving advocates gift cards versus swag. The exception was a small Verint Bot (robot) plushy and small Lego set of the same Verint Bot. Both of these were hits. The other exception was the holiday gifts that we did for our top 10 (more like ~12) advocates every year. For these, though, we were spending in the neighborhood of $100 each. We did things like hand warmers/portable charger, cutlery board, blanket, jacket and hat, Bluetooth speaker, etc. Some were branded and some weren't. All were always a big hit.
we use brillant! We have had some good luck with some branded items with them that customers keep requesting again and again!
Hi Megan. Got the answer to #1. We have used C&S Sales and Nadel. We used the former for most branded merchandise. We used the latter for our customer awards and, usually, our top advocate holiday gifts.
Megan Ferenz I have tried so many companies for branded merch and keep coming back to Pro Forma. They have amazing prices and service and can source basically anything we can dream up. Happy to make an intro to my guy for you if you would like! I usually tie clever messaging around the gifts purpose and let that guide what the gift is. The more clever you can be the less likely it goes in the trash. My vendor is great about helping with that.
Hey Megan Ferenz Are you customers all in the US or are they global? I've gone through quite a few swag vendors and I'd be happy to share my thoughts.... but those thoughts are different based on whether you are shipping in country our internationally.
We have global customers! Kate Ressler
Hey Megan Ferenz, among the clients we have who reward their customers with branded merch, the most successful programs provide rewards that add value/comfort/efficiency to customers in their jobs. For example, our largest plumbing client rewards its customers in NA with waterproof jackets, camp chairs, and blankets, since these customers often work in unfinished buildings. The same client rewards their customers in Spain with sun protection etc. From a swag vendor standpoint, it's easier for tax/duties to have different vendors in different regions. We work with vendors in NA, EU, UK, Scandinavia, and China - happy to share them with you if you're interested.
