How Savvy Marketers Make Creative Swag?

Swag offers a great opportunity for marketers to get truly creative.

We discussed in an earlier article the differences between off the shelf swag and fully customizable swag. One of the obvious signs of creativity is that fully customized swag campaigns are almost always different while off the shelf swag campaigns are usually repeated.

One of the key advantages of using swag for your customer’s journey is that swag can have a direct positive effect on the traveller’s holiday and for years to follow. According to Advertising Age and other studies, marketers continue to choose swag as an essential part of their marketing mix because of its superior ROI.

After doing over 600 customized swag campaigns with the top travel companies in the UK, we can share some tips to make your customized swag campaign a big success.

The Creative Swag Process

The creative swag process has a few steps:

1.   A marketing department brainstorming session to choose the target traveller, the right marketing metric and to discuss the right swag type, materials, colors, and design.

2.   A top custom swag provider such as D&S Travel Swag finds the right manufacturer for your goals and turns your marketing vision into real samples.

3.   The marketing department plays with the new samples and reviews how they look and feel. They give final feedback if any changes need to be made.

4.   The swag provider offers a final set of samples if required before signing off for mass production.

Selective Asia is a top travel company in the UK (and a long-standing client of D & S Travel Swag). They used to give each client a travel wallet to carry essential travel documents. A few years ago, they decided they wanted their swag to reflect their eco-friendly identity; something they felt would resonate with their customers.

The marketing team decided to creatively approach the challenge by 1) using high quality, eco-friendly materials and 2) making the swag multi-purpose to ensure its long-term use.

We sent Selective Asia several certified eco-friendly materials from manufacturers around the world. The touch and feel had to be just right. The goal was an earthy yet luxurious feel. It reflected the brands vision of new discoveries and adventures.

Their chosen material was a pre-washed Kraft paper with a pulley closing mechanism made from hemp. The wallet was designed to organize travel documents, keep souvenirs and even function as a small wash bag. The new, multipurpose travel wallet was a huge success.

We hope this article has sparked some great creative ideas on your part for customized swag for your customers or potential customers.

We would like to reward your creativity by offering you a chance to see your ideas made into reality at no charge. Email me at josh@dstravelsupplies.com and provide your name, company, your target audience and a description of your desired customized swag. We will provide free samples based on your exact specifications (for all qualified travel companies).