With summer conference in full swing (RVASec wrapping up, Black Hat around the corner, and CYBR.SEC.CON to close out the season), security marketing teams are in full-on "how to we capture more mindshare" mode. Either they've already planned it out and they're executing now, or they're scrambling at the last minute to try to separate themselves from the pack.
Let's start with a caveat: using swag to generate leads is a losing proposition. Every conference has a wave of attendees who are never going to buy services, who will power walk the show floor, happily trading their (possibly disposable) contact information for the latest giveaway. The smart ones make two passes: one early to get all the limited gear, and one late to get all the leftovers that your marketing team want to take home. The events team will get to celebrate how many badge scans they got, and the poor BDRs on the receiving end of those leads now get to experience the cold hard truth of blind rejection.
More on the ups and downs of security vendor marketing:
Bill Brenner
Bill Brenner
But that's neither here nor there. The best swag pays off not in the "leads" you get, but in the brain share you capture. Take Jazz. They sent out, to a select few (and of course, I was one of them), a pre-conference shwag kit. I've gotten these before, from lots of vendors, and they often disappoint. Either they go too pricey (triggering compliance rules), or they go too self-important (do I really want to wear your logo that much?), or they go too cheap (I don't need gear that falls apart). But Jazz's efforts are a good example for other vendors to think about following.
Let's take a look. It begins with a really catchy phrase: DLP Sucks. Which encapsulates how CISOs have felt about the data security market for three decades, and is entertaining enough that people will come back for a second look.
First, the high end. Nothing over the top here; we're not talking computers or even Patagonia vests. But we do get high quality items.
- A really soft tee. I’m a firm believer that all tee shirts should be wicked soft. This one is by Marine Layer, and it qualifies. A wide neck so it doesn't strangle me is a plus. If my kids were younger, I'd worry one would steal it as a sleeping shirt.
- A SnapBack hat. I’m weird that this style doesn’t fit me, but New Era Cap makes good hats. And these are appropriate for Blackhat.
- High quality socks. Just not in my size (sock folks: recognize that guys over 6’ tall wear larger socks). But these aren't the usual low-quality disposable socks most vendors try to pass out.
At the low end, we've got a bunch of cheap giveaways. Cheap doesn't mean bad. It's just a recognition that you're not going to give out high quality stuff everywhere, and that since swag is hit or miss, sometimes, it's the low quality that finds a useful home.
- Stickers. These are great tags. Not just "DLP Sucks," but other including "Ctrl-C is not a crime" and "My laptop is on fire." These are the sorts of stickers that will get put on a laptop.
- Peppermints. These are a great conference giveaway (second only to the Tide stain remover sticks), especially for those long days on a show floor.
- Detox Tea (orange pekoe). This is a new one for me. I love it for being sent home, but I'm unconvinced on conference shwag. But it might fit that niche of "nobody else is doing this, and a handful of folks love this" that is an oft-ignored sweet spot.
It rounds out with some shtick. A notional "receipt" for bad DLP implementations, that doesn't claim to be an ROI calculator (those are never believable), while still filling the need, and a stack of political-style postcards is just entertaining.
Note that nothing in this kit is over-the-top from a cost perspective, but it's all well-designed. It all hangs together in a way that suggests a marketing team that understands how to be subtle and outrageous at the same time.
What's your marketing team putting together for conferences?
