5 Alternatives to Branded Merch for your Next Event
5 minute read.
It feels like the tide is finally turning in the events industry, as we’re seeing clients steer away from merch for the sake of merch… finally!
I’m seeing audiences turn down giveaways more than ever. They take one look, realise they don’t need another cheap reusable coffee mug with your logo on it taking up space in their kitchen cupboards, and say “no thanks”.
After 10 years in the events industry, the amount of plastic garbage with a logo on it I’ve seen given out at events is astounding- not to mention the by-product waste (packaging and transport) associated.
Before we go too deep, I’m not saying all merch is bad. I do not have an anti-merch agenda propagated by deep-web anti-big-merch activists, and I’m not in the pocket of the ‘alt-merch’ industry either.
When done right, merch can be the delicious icing on your event cake.
BUT…
Forbes: Just 21% of branded and promotional items are kept for any length of time. More than half is given away, and 23% is thrown away.
Yes, that article is an ad for a “climate-neutral” merch supplier, but the numbers are there.
So what do you give out, if not a branded water bottle? Here’s what we’ve been doing instead of merch.
One: Charity Donations.
Give the gift of warm and fuzzies… it is as simple as: “for each attendee we’ll donate $X amount to X-charity”.
Just be careful, if you’re only going to donate $2 per person and 20 people are coming to your event - don’t bother. Not only does your charity need to exist, but you have to be actually generous, or you risk looking like a real Costanza.
You should also donate to a charity that’s relevant to your industry, and aligns with your company values to reaffirm your brand with your audience.
Also, this increases the no-show guilt trip… which is always nice for organisers.
Elevate it: appeal to the narcissist within.
Once, after paying a supplier’s invoice, I received an email that explained I’d just planted a tree through their partnership with a tree-planting initiative.
If this was an easily shareable asset, you bet I would have quickly popped it on LinkedIn to soak up that corporate clout.
Just like that, I would have felt great virtue-signalling to all the strangers in my network, and you would have won some fantastic brand exposure.
Two: Uber Vouchers.
Did you know that you can send Uber Vouchers that can only be redeemed during a specific time frame, and for specific locations that you set?
That means that you can give people $50 towards commuting to and from your event, without the risk they’ll spend it on KFC delivery for lunch instead.
We find that providing Uber vouchers dramatically reduces drop outs, as it’s a reminder that actual money is being spent for guests to come to this event.
Not to mention, it makes their lives easier on the day- especially in the rain.
Three: Books.
Ok- so yes, these are paper and paper are trees and we like trees, but the likelihood of a book being thrown out after 1 use is much lower than a fidget spinner.
Most books you’d consider are between $15 - $30, which is about what you’d spent slapping your logo on a lump of plastic anyway.
So why not choose something that aligns with your events’ key messaging? Maybe your speaker wrote a book?
Giving a book allows your event to have an afterlife with your audience, as well as providing an opportunity for them to get something out of your giveaway.
Also consider Audible Gift Cards if your audience is a bit… lazier.
Elevate it: tick the logo box.
I know your CMO probably won’t approve the spend without having a logo somewhere… so have some fun with it & slap a fun branded sticker on the books to tick the brand box.
Four: Masterclass Voucher.
In the similar vein to the books, it’s nice to give something that people can get actually benefit from.
While it’s not completely brand-able, I can guarantee that your audience will appreciate a no-strings attached free Masterclass for coming to your event much more than a shirt made out of such low quality material it rubs their nipples off. Don’t laugh- because this has happened to me.
I don’t have the stats to back this up, but I am certain that “Attend this event to get a free Masterclass Voucher” would work a whole lot better than “Attend this event to receive a free water bottle!”.
Some ideas:
Udemy
Skillshare
Creative Live
Masterclass - no off-the-shelf Gift Cards available so you have to gift subscription… I just had to use the most recognisable brand- you know?
Five: Create a different type of waste.
They may not be recyclable… but at least they are biodegradable.
Imagine, your guest returns to the office with a 6-pack of glucose & sugar filled treats with your logo all over it… you’ve turned 1 event attendee into potentially an entire office. Also, your guest will be the office hero for pulling everyone out of their 3pm blood-sugar slump.
Worst case scenario, they work from home and make the family very happy!
Either way, that’s a win.
I’m not saying you can’t do merch right…
…but unfortunately to have any real impact on event audiences in 2023 you’re going to have to spend big on merch to really be memorable - and most people simply don’t have the budget.
For example, I’ve always wanted to do co-branded Memobottles. Memobottle is a certified B-Corp and often runs promotions like;
Every memobottle™ sold in July will provide 10 months of safe water access via Water.org
But they’re upwards of $70 a unit, and nobody wants to spend that on a water bottle when you can get a cheap knockoff made out of plastic that stinks for a tenth of that.
So please, for the love of god, before you approve that order for 1,000 pop sockets, ask yourself - can you be doing better?
I love a challenge - so if you don’t like what you see, brief me & let’s figure out how we can do better.
Taylor Stanyon
Head of Production
taylor@weareclutch.com.au
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