What are your thoughts on marketing swag?

Richard Fang
14 replies
Every startup has its own swag shirts, but what are your thoughts in general about swag. Would love everyone thoughts about it 😊

Replies

Two uses for me - building a team spirit and a small bit of branding
Daniel Engels
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.
Luka Vasic
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
Richard Fang
@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.
Ezzat Suhaime
From one of the best shows:
Ash Carey
It is more attractive to employees rather than to customers. I guess!
Saif Ullah Khalid
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.
Launching soon!
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.
Richard Fang
@qudsia_ali Great answer - it definitely is a reflection of brand identity especially if executed well.
Stephanie Totty
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.