In the right context, swag can work. Our Habitat for Humanity chapter gives out a lot of T-shirts, caps, etc. and folks like to wear them. I have quite a collection of what I affectionately call Habiswag, and the number of comments I get from folks when I am wearing these in public is amazing. It opens conversations for me to explain the mission in a nutshell and dispel common myths (for example, we do not give homes away; our partner families have to contribute sweat equity hours, undergo financial training, and buy the home at our cost). I wouldn’t call this virtue signaling, as the intent is to promote the mission, not the person wearing the swag…although there is certainly some crossover with some folks, of course.
I don’t know if swag translates to communicating the key points of a particular training session, but I would think that caps and T-shirts along the lines of “ask me about laboratory safety” could afford the same opportunity for target audience and community engagement. In short, if you’re going to swag, make it something that the recipient can feel engaged with. Turn participants into advocates and advocates into evangelists.
Rob Toreki
PS: Related so I’ll mention it. We have a family member who has a condition called MGUS and he’s always playing gotcha with random doctors to see if the know their stuff. There’s no reason, for example, for his dermatologist to know what it is but he likes to play this game because he can show off his extensive knowledge on it. We got him a T-shirt for his birthday that says “Ask me about MGUS” on the front. The back says “If you have two hours to spare."
Ralph,
As taken from the Merinam Webster Online Dictionary “SWAG, noun (1) definitions:
- c: promotional articles or goods; and,
- d: goods given to people who attend or participate in an event
from my experiences over 40+ years in 3M Sales, Marketing and Training, I have always equated “SWAG" as “trinkets and trash.”
Fortunately on a semi-annual basis over the years, my daughter has helped me remove any clutter of SWAG and clothes or household goods I no longer wear or use. Depending upon what it is, I have a pile for The Salvation Army and one for Waste Management (aka, garbage).
The two exceptions are,
- receiving a “Certificate of Completion or Recognition” which I would keep in my files and when appropriate attach as a PDF to my Resume/CV; and,
- if the “SWAG” is functionally useful and not duplicated by common stationary and office supplies products which I already have in my office.
I do not personally know of any studies regarding SWAG; however, if you Google, “Studies about the benefits of SWAG,” you will find a whole host of information. Please be aware that SWAG represents a $25 Billion (USD) market with top vendors (in order):
Swag.com, Teepublc, BrandVia, Gemnote, Everything Branded, Packed with a Purpose, SwagUp, Printfection, Epromos, Halo Branded Solutions, 4Imprint, Inkwell Global Marketing,
If I were you, I would keep things simple and just go with my Exception #1.
All My Best,
John B. Callen, PhD
Retired
ACS/DCHAS Founding Member
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