When tidying up At home, you may have found remnants of past conferences and jobs, such as branded keychains, tote bags, water bottles, T-shirts, and hoodies.
Some of these items may be useful. I can use the water bottle I got from a meeting for my morning run, and in the winter I can keep warm in the hoodie my former employer gave me when I run errands. However, as time passes, the number of stolen items increases. For example, if he has accumulated 10 water bottles from conferences over the years, most of them are likely sitting in his kitchen cabinet. If he has five hoodies with his former employer's name on them, some of them may end up in the closet and never see the light of day.
It's understandable that business leaders would want to give away branded merchandise. After all, it's a marketing strategy: every time someone picks up a product with your company's name on it, they'll think about your company and take a step that benefits the company, ideally by making a purchase. It's a thought. Or refer a friend. But most people already have a lot of stuff at home. As a business leader, avoid adding to the clutter and approach this element of brand awareness differently.
Stolen items create clutter
One of the biggest problems with stolen items is that they get messy. The recipient of the keepsake has one more thing to deal with at home, and the leader of the keepsake distribution business has to deal with excess inventory in the office or at home until the next gifting opportunity arrives. You may have to.
Clutter is bad for us. As WebMD points out, “at least one study suggests that a messy room can stimulate creativity,” but a messy room “has many more downsides: physical, It can even be harmful to your mental health.'' Furthermore, as organizational behavior professor Libby Sander wrote in The Conversation, “Our brains prefer order and are disorganized. Constant visual reminders drain your cognitive resources and reduce your ability to concentrate.”
You could also argue that people decide whether to receive free water bottles or keychains at conferences or other events. They can choose to donate a free T-shirt or tote bag given to them by their employer. But my answer to these arguments is, why put more of this into the world in the first place? Every time a new item appears, you have to think about what to do with it. And if we decide to throw things away, it can affect the environment.
Stolen goods damage the environment
Promotional products ultimately damage the environment. According to Sonali Didi, a professor at Colorado State University, conference memorabilia “has a huge impact on the environment because most of it is made from cheap plastics and materials, has poor quality, and has a short product lifespan.” ” he explained. Because while “the cost of stolen goods is generally very low, some products are more likely to be manufactured in facilities with poor working conditions, which directly impacts the health of workers.”
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Humankind already produces a large amount of garbage. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Total municipal solid waste (MSW) generation in 2018 was 292.4 million tons (U.S. short tons unless otherwise specified) or 4.9 pounds per person per day.” says. Of the municipal waste generated, around 69 million tonnes were recycled and 25 million tonnes were composted. ” Some of that trash ends up in landfills. According to the EPA, in 2018, “approximately 146.1 million tons of MSW ended up in landfills.”
Landfill gas has a negative impact on the environment and on us. As the New York State Department of Health states, the virus “can travel through the soil and collect in nearby buildings.” The organization also noted that a survey of “communities near landfills and waste lagoons” found a range of health complaints, including “eye, throat and lung irritation” and “worsened asthma.” There is. Every item a business leader doesn't produce means he has one less item that could end up in a landfill.
Avoid giving away physical items that are not edible
According to a report by the Advertising Specialty Institute, the goods industry generated $25.8 billion in revenue in 2022. Instead of investing in items that may end up in cabinets or landfills, business leaders should pursue other avenues to increase brand awareness.
No matter who you want to gift something to, whether it's a future customer, an employee, or a member of your community, you should prioritize digital gifts, edible items, experiences, and helping people over physical items. For example, my team and I were asked to hand out swag bags at an event happening next year. We said no (I've never given out swag bags). Instead, we're looking at giving people digital gifts like NFTs.
Digital gifts like NFTs, audiobooks, and subscriptions to online publications can help your brand stand out, especially if they align with your brand’s core message. For example, if you run an executive coaching business, you can send audiobook versions of your favorite business books to your clients. Handing out edible items like cookies and popcorn is also a great way to connect with people, as long as you follow all health protocols and regulations. Experiences are another way brands can positively impact people. For example, if you take your employees to a local concert as a thank you, it's a memory they'll look back on fondly. Then there are times when I help people. Instead of handing out swag, you can also encourage collaboration to help others. For example, at a trade show, instead of giving a keychain to everyone who registers for a demo at your booth, you can let them know that your company will donate their $5 to a nonprofit organization.
There's no need to highlight your brand with physical items. By staying away from swag, you can build stronger relationships with the people you want to reach.
