How Agencies Can Steer Away From Needless Holiday Swag

The holidays are getting nearer, as that waft of pumpkin spice hints. Soon, clients everywhere will be opening up their gifts, with images of branded water bottles, tee shirts, umbrellas and notebooks dancing in their heads. The holiday season for advertisers and agencies often means giving away branded swag. But does anyone really need a third personal water bottle or ill-fitting hoodie? The answer is often no, and one movement is helping agencies and companies minimize the impact surplus swag puts on the industry and the environment. Several agencies, including Dentsu, Hearts and Science, Initiative, Mediahub, OMD, PHD, UM and more have signed up to participate this year, and initial campaign sponsors include Fox, Equativ, InMobi, MobileFuse, Undertone, Vevo and Vox Media. Concerts Have Always Left Hidden Wastelands. This Music Festival Puts Sustainability on the Main Stage A need to be purpose-led Chad Hickey, founder and CEO of Givsly, started his company in 2019 with a goal to help companies increase business results while fulfilling their social and environmental commitments. He had led sales teams at places like xAd and Placed, and saw how effective connections were made when marketing dollars were put into programs that had purpose and gave back to the community. He wanted to bring that sense of connection to more people, so he started Givsly to provide turnkey solutions that impact a company’s bottom line and communities in need. “I was a sales leader that did the food trucks, I did the lobby takeovers, I did everything under the sun to try to get our brand name in front of these agency decision makers…There are cultural shifts happening in our industry where people are looking for more purpose-led ways of aligning values with the partners they work with. And we really help enable that in a very turnkey way,” Hickey told Adweek. In January 2020, Joshua Lowcock at UM and Hickey talked about how much duplicative swag they got during the holidays and wondered if there was a way to eliminate that. Since people are in a giving mood during that season, they thought there could be a way to celebrate the sense of giving without the needless material items. “We thought, if we could create a turnkey experience that is not only about client gifting, but about companies coming to the table and saying, ‘hey, we do want to be less wasteful,’ then let's help create that campaign and make it about the industry coming together,” Hickey stated. That conversation led to more with agency leaders, acknowledging that the swag was wasteful. Then, after the pandemic broke out in 2020, Hickey saw that people were trying to be more mindful in general, which included the elimination of waste and a push for sustainability. The “Season Without Swag” campaign in 2021 proved that the idea was a success. Of those who had the option of a swagless season last year, 30%—and up to 60%—chose a donation over a material item. The campaign also helped contribute $400,000 to non-profit organizations. Additionally, 42 bags of swag were donated from agencies that had unused goods in their offices that weren't wanted or needed. What 2022 will offer Givsly offers its donation technology as a way to show appreciation as an alternative, which helps keep companies in front of clients during the most important quarter of the year, while simultaneously showcasing the company as a purpose-driven organization to help it reinforce its values. Customers get a QR code that goes to a landing page where they can select a non-profit that the company has decided to support. This year, the campaign will include donation bins for agency lobbies to help drive the donation of unwanted swag items to shelters, as well as a new Do Good Bus. The bus will be available to agencies who want to shuttle volunteers to special projects. “A lot of people can get on a bus and then go to a homeless shelter or a soup kitchen together and actually volunteer,” said Hickey, adding that after they volunteer, the bus will drop them off at a bar so they can celebrate. “From a mental health perspective, I feel like people are really yearning even for that networking piece of it, so we wanted to add that in.” In addition, there will be virtual and hybrid thought leadership sessions to educate agency attendees on sustainability and purpose, along with impact reports and awards in December for participating companies and agencies that had the greatest impact. Agencies getting involved Even though more agencies and companies join the "Season Without Swag" campaign every year, Hickey notes that there are more media agencies involved than creative agencies. He sees that as a point of growth moving forward and hopes that more will learn of the campaign and want to be involved. Those who are currently in the campaign keep coming back and bringing others with them. “At Mediahub, giving back to our communities is a key pillar for our agency. We are happy to once again partner with Givsly for Season Without Swag to empower our employees to support causes that are meaningful to them, while also providing volunteer opportunities and thought leadership sessions to continue our work with Givsly throughout the entire year,” Sean Corcoran, CEO, Mediahub said in a statement. The move away from swag may not be an easy one, but Hickey believes it’s the right move for agencies and companies as sustainability and purpose come more to the forefront of importance for the industry. “I think that sometimes it’s scary for salespeople to think about their material gifts being taken away, but what I want people to realize, and especially sales leaders and at the executive level, is that these agencies are coming to the table because they don't want it [anymore]," said Hickey. "Season Without Swag" gives them a sustainable option, he added. Creatives Have Been Called Up to Slay Climate Change

Brand Purpose

'Season Without Swag' Steers Agencies Away From Needless Holiday Promo Items

The third year of the Givsly promotion adds more agency partners

Kyle O’Brien

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Kyle O’Brien