August 7, 2017
The Art of the Swag Bag: A Value-add Opportunity for PartnerCentric Clients
How many times have you checked in at a trade show and waited with excited anticipation to get your event bag? “What awesome products will I get?” you hypothetically ask yourself as the line inches closer and closer to the front. After providing your personal information and selling out the name and details of your first unborn child, you get handed a…brown tote bag filled with approximately 10 lbs. of catalogues and a bic pen.
Additional luggage fees aside, there is a certain level of disappointment that comes with wanting to be surprised with cool gadgets and discounts and getting nothing of the kind. For this year’s Affiliate Summit East, we wanted to take a different approach.
What we did
A month before the show, we polled our clients to see if they would be interested in sending us their branded promotional products or discount codes so we could present them to publishers. The goal was to create publisher gift bags with swag that people could actually use and, more importantly, would keep our clients top of mind while showcasing their products and brands. Our clients span many verticals and offer some fantastic products and services so we knew this would be a way that we could extend their reach. We received a great response with 14 clients agreeing to participate and our team contributed some PartnerCentric branded items as well.
The process
While some clients sent branded promotional items directly to us to bring to the show, others wanted to feature special discount codes for publishers and partners that received the bags. Our marketing team worked closely with these clients to develop branded coupons that we then could print and add to the bags. Whether clients provided one code or 100 individual codes, our designer was able to accommodate their requests and incorporate their logos and branding. Once at the show, all branded items and coupons were laid out and on Sunday night, the PartnerCentric late-night team put them together. Pizza may have been involved in this process.
The takeaways
Over a day and a half of conversation and productive meetings, we gave out all the bags that we curated. Publishers and partners were excited to receive them and some made sure to take extras. Our clients were not only well-represented in their own right, but also included as part of a bigger community of well-respected brands. Creating and sharing these gift bags allowed us to build and strengthen truly meaningful relationships with partners while promoting our diverse clients. At PartnerCentric, we always aim to go the extra mile for our clients and partners. We invest heavily in building a community of team members, publishers, technology providers, and other partners so our shared customer can scale their business by leveraging ours. In the future, expect to see even more of these value-add opportunities and come visit us to see it in action.
We would love to hear your thoughts! What’s the coolest swag you’ve ever received at a show?
Want to be included in future value-add opportunities? Email Alisa.Crowley@partnercentric.com.