PPB November 2017

I am tired of those within our industry using the word “swag.” If it is “stuff we all get,” then where is its value? When we call our medium swag, trinkets and trash, or worse, all we are doing is devaluing what we do for a living. We work with a tangible medium that does a remarkable job of helping recipients recall brand value and stimulate calls to action for brands. Our medium is there to “talk” about clients’ brands, their companies and their message when they are not there to do so themselves. Our products are essential reminders of what our clients do, what distinguishes them in their marketplace and why their clients should buy from them. When we continue to use the word swag, and ignore or condone it when others do, we are hurting our industry. Using this word implies that our medium is less valuable than other advertising media or of no value at all. Promotional products, instead, have a reach and recall no other advertising media can match. Research shows that 88 percent of recipients recall the advertiser on a promotional product and 83 percent of people like receiving them. What other advertising media can say that? Why are we torpedoing ourselves by using the word swag? Why are we giving others ammunition to sell effectively against us? Why are we putting ourselves in a position where Why The Word ‘Swag’ Isn’t Helping Our Industry by Ben Baker 14 | NOVEMBER 2017 | INNOVATE