How do you make an all-day meeting fun? How do you elevate something as simple and mandatory as an itinerary sheet? That was the challenge for RED Swag (asi/313582).
Each kit would be handed out to the meeting’s attendees. It would include all of the forms and schedules that each person needed, but RED Swag CEO Thea Rodrigue said they wanted to make things a bit less ordinary.
The final product included mini-bottles of sparkling apple cider with printed belly bands, T-shirts also with belly bands, each with a quote to tie in with the company’s mission and topics of the meeting. There was also a confetti popper to remind people that sometimes a meeting can have a festive atmosphere, and each belly band was also printed with a QR code that attendees could scan to find a playlist for the meeting, which they could play on an included Bluetooth speaker.
“It was to get them hyped about a sales meeting,” Rodrigue says. “And it was a huge success. They loved it. The recipients were so excited about it. It did exactly what the team wanted to do, which was to get people pumped up to go to a sales meeting. Like, who does that?”
Rodrigue’s background outside of the print and promotional products industry before joining RED Swag might have helped her in this situation. Instead of seeing what products go together or what a campaign “should” be, she looked at each piece as an opportunity for excitement, whether it was a promo item or print piece.
“It’s thinking outside of the box of what it can be,” she says. “I think I love more than anything being able to touch people. I think when you recognize that promo does that, I think it really elevates and changes what we do every day.”
Podcast Chapters
0:24: Thea’s background in the industry and RED Swag
1:00: The natural blend of print and promo
2:18: Case study: pre-meeting engagement kit
4:19: Elevating “boring” materials into experiences
5:13: Using QR codes and digital engagement
8:00: Handling logistics challenges
9:25: Turning a positive experience into more business
11:30: Advice for distributors
Key Takeaways
• RED Swag CEO Thea Rodrigue explains the natural connection between print and promotional products.
• One case study involved sending pre-meeting kits to more than 100 sales executives.
• The kits included branded items like sparkling apple cider, shirts, speakers and printed materials all tied to a theme.
• RED Swag created further engagement with a QR code and print collateral in the kit.
• The project required internal assembly and extra effort from the team to execute.
• The campaign was well-received and led to increased interest from other clients.
