Attack of the Flak Swag
Swag
Friday, 19 December 2008 20:07
As a PR person, or anyone in marketing for that matter, we frequently pick up corporate crap; the sundry tchotchkes companies use to "brand" themselves and give to people to take home to their kids after a tradeshow in Vegas. AKA: Swag.
An old associate from one of the first agencies I ever worked at connected with me on Facebook and posted something about a former client.
(This is completely meaningless fluff, by the way. It gives me a chance to relay a bit of humor and get my last post off the front page).
I had a t-shirt from that client and was wearing a sweatshirt from another (Micro Focus, for whom I did some Y2K scaring as they were a COBOL compiler company that was selling a tool to fix the two-digit date problem in that language. I can't take all the credit for over-hyped Y2K paranoia [nor would I want to] but I did get that client into the tech trades from whence it went mainstream).
I've got heaps of swag: stacks of t-shirts, pens, pencils, notebooks, backpacks, computer cases, coffee mugs, a brand-etched champagne bottle (empty), hats, of course. However, my all-time favorite, the best little souvenir I ever scooped up, is the Allied Telesyn Nose Hair Clipper.
What's better, I use it. Not nearly as often as my wife would like, but I do use it.
It makes me smile just thinking about it.
Here's hoping you're smiling, too.