What are your thoughts on marketing swag?
Richard Fang
13 replies
Every startup has its own swag shirts, but what are your thoughts in general about swag.
Would love everyone thoughts about it 😊
Replies
Maxwell Davis@maxwellcdavis
Two uses for me - building a team spirit and a small bit of branding
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95Travel Kit
I don't think customized t-shirts or mugs are a marketing channel - but rather a means of team building. If startup employees identify themselves with the company to a point they are ready to wear the logo (occasionally, of course) - it's definitely a good point.
95Travel Kit
@daniel_engels Haha yeah good point
WorkHub
Swag is about establishing a brand presence, making an impression, and building community, as with other marketing endeavors. A company's swag, in essence, reflects some aspect of its brand identity. Startup T-shirts can be especially useful at events where the founders attend on behalf of the company to meet potential investors or clients. These t-shirts can be used as a visual aid when explaining their product or service at these events.
95Travel Kit
@qudsia_ali Great answer - it definitely is a reflection of brand identity especially if executed well.
LeadDelta professional relationships CRM
Hmm, I think the designs of the shirts should have almost nothing to do with your startup because people don't like being a walking billboard. I mean this doesn't apply to big-name brands. So cool designs people would like to wear with a bit of an accent on your startup
95Travel Kit
@luka_vasic yeah this is the inbetween i'm trying to figure out. I know people juts won't wear a shirt with a huge company logo on it so I'm trying to figure out funny / cool designs with maybe a smaller logo attached.
Bubbl Widget
I love it. To be honest. In my personal view, it has less effect on the marketing but is quite a good thing in sense of employee recognition.
I am pro marketing swag ... but only for the right reasons and in the right circumstances. I think way too many startups buy a domain and then immediately buy swag ... which in my opinion is way too early.
If you're at a more established startup then yes! I'm all about that clever branding move. Don't just slap your logo on a hoodie, be fun and creative with what you design and then distribute. I worked at an edtech startup years ago and our (very stuffy) academic clients LOVED our whimiscal, punny tshirts we made about educational assessment. They were a GREAT brand builder.