Funny thing about Swag as an advertising medium... I can't remember one time in the past 6 years that a client (or potential client) has raised the subject of ROI - Return on Investment - when purchasing swag for their company.

There are many reasons for this I'm sure, chief among them being the fact that computing the ROI from swag can be difficult. This is doubly true if your company views swag as little more than a 'trick-or-treat' item for your company's marketing events. The buying decision often gets made on criteria that have nothing at all to do with advertising effectiveness... the price per item, the minimum order quantity, and in most cases the personal opinions and preferences of the person (or committee) making the buying decision.

These days every budget is under scrutiny and ad dollars invested need to show results. Does that spell the end for swag? Hardly. When companies move away from 'swag as a commodity' thinking to a more creative approach that delights their target audience, magic can be made.

Case in point: ValueClick's investment of $784 in cupcakes (edible swag) netted over $250,000 in new business. This is just one of several case studies Leah Messinger discusses on her excellent blog post: The ROI of Quality Swag (http://www.imediaconnection.com/). If you haven't seen this already, take a minute to read it - it's a good post and one of the few written by someone outside my industry.

One last thought today, which is about quality. No matter how creative your approach and compelling your message is, the quality of the swag you give is the ultimate reflection on your company and what it stands for. After the message is forgotten the swag remains, and good quality swag is often kept for years and years. Quality doesn't have to mean high-priced. Working with an industry professional that knows which product lines deliver the best quality for the price doesn't cost any extra & can help you avoid making expensive mistakes with your swag budget.

Thanks for reading - as you can see I took a little break from my 'Swag Du Jour' format, but I wanted to share that blog post with you. Have a great day & come back soon - my next post will be on a new eco-friendly swag idea you'll love!