Yesterday, I received a package in the mail. Well… through UPS, actually. The doorbell rings, I go to answer, and sitting there on my doorstep is this box. Brown waves at me, drives off, and I walk back into the house with the mysterious package under my arm. I weigh it in my hand. Too heavy for a T-shirt. Too light for a book. Too quiet for an 8lb bag of m&ms. I let Chico sniff it for explosives. Clear. Cholula sniffs for pot. Clear. Chiquita sniffs for anthrax. We’re all good. I set the box on the kitchen table, swing my ninja sword at its edges in a blur and a woosh, and voila. Inside the box, I find… this:
Now, for the sake of disclosure, I should point out that I know Kamran Popkin (@swagclub). That we are both members of Social Media Club Greenville. That he already sent me a pretty kickass “thinking cap” earlier this year (which I wear during brainstorms, but only when I need that extra little bit of je-ne-sais-quoi), and also that he had a hand in getting me to the BMW driver school this summer. And yes, Kamran and I have briefly chatted about ways in which we could work together – meaning ways in which Swag Club might come in handy with some of my clients, and with this blog, Red Chair and “the book” in 2010.
So Kamran, being the business samurai that he is, decided that showing me, rather than just telling me, what kind of power good swag and a personal touch can accomplish, sent me this pretty badass (and color-awesome) little package of goodies just in time for the Holidays.
Here is the note he sent with it, along with the flip side of his business card (the nine rules of Swag Club):
- You don’t talk about Swag Club.
- You don’t talk about swag club. (Unless you need great swag.)
- The search for great swag is over only when you say “Wow – that nails it!”
- Only two guys to a fight. Unless we need help, then we bring in the big guns. We know a guy.
- One swag project at a time.
- We work with no ties or socks. Even on Sundays, always workin’ but never stressin’ the work.
- The quest for great swag goes on as long as it needs to.
- First projects are often the start of a great relationship. Or the end of a bad one.
- Great advice @swagclub is always free.
Badass. The front of the card is the pink dealio at the top of this post.
More on the contents of the package (aside from the handy little sanitizing gels, the portable reading light and the post-it slinky):
As simple as this little cell phone holder may be, it’s a great idea: It looks cool, it unfolds flat so it’s easy to travel with, and you can put your logo on it, which… is kind of thepoint. Anyway, very handy little desk accessory for someone with my schedule. (And yes, my phone is either a) a temple to social media narcisism, b) an exercise in accessory branding, c) a better way to mark my stuff than using a sharpie, a label or… scent, or even d) all of the above.)
Next item: This MoMa-inspired perpetual calendar. Minimalist, doesn’t require batteries, kind of cool looking on a desk. And as a bonus, it’s accented with BrandBuilder orange.
Very cool, especially since it was completely unexpected.
So here are my takeaways from this pleasant little surprise:
- Either wow or go home.
- Make it personal.
- Be persistent.
- Be relevant.
- Be bold.
- Make people feel like a million bucks.
- Show people that you care.
- Go analog.
- If the devil is in the details, that’s where you need to be.
- Sometimes, it isn’t about the what. It’s about the how.
You know how we like to talk about best practices? You don’t really have to look much further than this.
Guess where I’ll be going for all of my swag needs from now on.
Have a great weekend, everyone. 😉
OB,
This is what I’ve been doing for years with ‘Experience’ so I’m right behind you on this. I’ve written a whack about it – but it can be summarised in your point 6:
“make people feel like a million bucks.”
That’s the whole point. Whatever you do – products, services, events, blogs – make people feel like they are the most valuable thing to you. Because as we know, in People-to-people, they are 🙂
Yep. What makes you and some of the other peeps I like to associate with special is that you genuinely care – which is why I count you among my friends and peers. The flip side of that looks and feels like what you and Drew and Trey and Kamran and Jim O’Donnell and Bobby Rettew and scores of others do for their friends, clients and fans… but isn’t. With many, that “making people feel like a million bucks” is merely a means to an end. It is completely disingenuous. I won’t name names, but a company I’ve had dealings with on and off since starting this blog is a perfect example of that: They are excellent at making you feel like a million bucks. They can turn you around from hating them to loving them in about 30 seconds flat. I have to give them props. But the problem is that it’s just a method. There’s nothing behind it. If they need me for something, suddenly they think I am the most brilliant guy on the planet. But as soon as they don’t, that love goes away. It doesn’t take long to figure out how they operate.
So I should qualify “making people feel like a million bucks” with “by genuinely caring about them, not kissing their ass when you need something from them.”
You’re one of the good ones, Scott. And there’s not a lot of gray outside of that category, as far as I’m concerned. 😉
Cheers.
Great post. Spot on.
At a tweetup (#punkATL) in Atlanta. not more than two nights ago, I gave away 4 starter gardening kits comprised of products from a local entrepreneur and client that has organic garden centers in the area and also sells his wares online and at many Southeast locations of Whole Foods.
The gardening kits were very high quality and appropriately sized to get people started growing their own food. Inside the kits was a flyer listing the twitter account @AskFarmerD where people can ask any garden related questions if they have them.
Being a creative services company that works with local triple bottom-line sustainable companies, I felt that these kits would be relevant and make excellent statements compared to the standard swag being given out.
I feel that these kits fell right in line with your 10 takeaways.
Awesome.
You’re so right: As much as I like getting a free plastic pen or box of mints or water bottle from every company I run into at a conference or trade show, there isn’t a whole lot of value in that. “Oh cool, another pen. Thanks.” And yeah, sure I enjoy winning a desk clock or a golf towel as much as the next guy, but is that really going to turn me into a fan? More to the point, is it going to get me started on the path of becoming a fan? Not really. That stuff is usually of such crap quality anyway that it hit a landfill somewhere within 3 weeks.
What you did was brilliant. You didn’t just give them a gimmicky $0.30 piece of plastic with a 1-800 on it. You gave them something they could use. Something unusual and remarkable. Something that would continue the experience beyond “okay, I have another spare pen now.” You’ve given them the tools to DO something cool. You’ve given them an adventure to go on. Stories to tell and share. Something to be proud of, even. And you’ve tied all of that to a very specific brand. Well done. The marketing world needs more people like you. 🙂
Wow…thanks! My goal at Rationally Creative has been about creating experiences for people and the most rewarding thing about it has been sharing in those experiences with them (the uptick in business is great too…essential…but not what drives me).
Again, thank you for the kind words and keep up the excellent work yourself!
Olivier,
Great Post, and SOOO timely. Swag Club provides the Wow and their their clients provide the Moment. What a great service. I’m determined to to make my business provide the same…(how?)
I feel that 2010 is going to be about combining Digital and Analog… Those that make that happen first / best, will be winners…
Thanks,
Ryan H., http://www.ryanhanley.com/
FREEBIES are always nice. 🙂
But great idea to get swag in front your customer, a tshirt, a pen, that cell holder is an awesome and useful idea.
Great tips.
Thanks, John. I love the cell holder. I’m using it right now.
I’ve preached for years that if you want your company to be memorable and truly distinctive, you need to create your own “wow” moments that are entirely unexpected.
If you’re an airline, delivering great in-flight service may be rare these days, and it may even be a point of differentiation, but it’s rarely a “wow” moment because it’s expected. However, if you deliver an in-flight experience that includes oversized leather seats, free wi-fi and Prada-clad flight attendants who actually engage with their passengers, you’ve created an indelible memory. You’ve designed an experience that actually delights your customers and forges a nearly impenetrable bond.
More than that, you’ve established a new standard that now diminishes all of your competitors. Even though they’ll respond with some efforts to replicate some of the elements that set you apart, they’ll never catch up if you focus relentlessly on surprise and delight.
How can your company generate the same infectious grin that must have spread across Olivier’s face as he opened the unexpected box of swag? It’s great when you can create imaginative packaging or design a new product, but it’s frequently the little things that stand out and are remembered the most. Personal touches that reflect thoughtfulness and caring. Handwritten notes that are distinctive and rare in today’s world of harried electronic communications. Even a gracious voicemail that recognizes and praises a client’s accomplishments. Each one stands out because of its totally unexpected yet personally gratifying nature.
The best part is that all you have to do is outimagine your constellation of competitors. You don’t have to outimagine Richard Branson or Herb Kelleher, you just have to outimagine the folks running your competitors. And the best news? They’re likely not trying to outimagine you.
“More than that, you’ve established a new standard that now diminishes all of your competitors.”
Bingo. As you pointed out, there’s a lot more to it than that, but man, that one alone is platinum.
Cheers.
Blanchard! You’re always beating me to the punch! Check out my write up about the Swagster at Jim Sharp:
http://jimsharp.blogspot.com/2009/12/swagclub-thats-right-i-said-it.html
Let me know what you think. Merry Christmas if I don’t see you before Santa comes.
I don’t really know what to say other than thank you for sharing this today, Olivier.
Think of someone you genuinely look up to in another industry. Someone who you feel embodies the way things should be done in that community. Now think of how it might feel to learn that person, without any idea what you’re up to, listed out 10 bullet points, simply stated they were best practices, and you could identify with all ten of them.
I generally try to choose my words carefully in comments, but all I can say today is, f*ckin’ a, man. Made my day. Wow.
Great post. I appreciate what you say about creating “wow” moments in the analog world. Last year I attended a Cirque du Soleil show (Kooza). After the show, I purchased a compact disc for the soundtrack. Imagine my surprise when I opened the CD package only to find that the casing itself unfolded to create a colorful jack-in-the-box prop for the CD. Totally unexpected especially in the digital world when it feels like no one pays attention to the way music is packaged. And, totally analog. I had to pick up the CD case and open it to experience the “wow.”
this is a life mantra.
this is a standard. for. being. period.
this is the whole point.
notice your entire post is an explanation and then the directives.
a gentle but thorough explanation of your reaction to all those actions.
do unto others / golden rule but actualized …
nothing is separate.
there’s not work life, home life, business life, personal life.
there just is being.
and this is a stellar mantra.
oh mighty olivier.
(you know i jest).
thank you for this bday and christmas combo gift.
hope you’re playing in the snow. um…last i checked i wasn’t aware of a road bike for 2 feet of snow. but you’ll come up with something.
truly valued this post.
thank you much.
Your Idea for perpetual calendar is very nice. Really it’s awesome.
This cannot be said enough:
“Make people feel like a million bucks.”
The WOW needs to be receiver focused, not just “WOW LOOK AT US!”
Great post as always
Thanks, man.
This is where soooooo many companies fail. Every touchpoint is an opportunity to wow or disappoint. How many companies actually put any thought at all into those experiences?
Those that do score. Those that don’t either lose or end up spending the equivalent of a small island nation’s GDP to attract one-time business.
I wish I’d receive something like that too, and of course also for free, hehehe:P
Olivier,
Just stop by to say Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Cheers from Brazil and i hope we can meet in person soon.
Gabriel.
Great post….. we’re on the same page with this.
Way to go, Kamran. When he stops by the office, there is often a wow moment. And it often involves lime green…
Good points, I think I will definitely subscribe! I’ll go and read some more! What do you see the future of this being?
I’m still learning from you, as I’m trying to reach my goals. I certainly liked reading all that is written on your blog.Keep the aarticles coming. I loved it