Last week, I attended the SXSW Festival in Austin TX for the first time. Before you ask me what cool films I saw or if there were any rocking bands performing, just chill for a moment. I went to the Interactive Festival. No flicks or tunes, just geeks.
Anyhow, that's not really the point of the story. I'm here to talk about the BIG BAG. As a SXSW newbee, I was surprised when after picked up my badge at registration, I was directed to go get my "bag". Cool, I thought, a fun pack o’swag. Uh, no. Not in the least. A huge bag of flyers, postcards, and magazines, oh my. CDs I’ll never listen to or use. Guitar picks (ok, so I thought my kids might like those). And more stuff than I’ve ever seen from a conference.
I was horrified and a little bit ashamed to be a marketer at that moment. Yes, we all want to promote ourselves here, but at what cost to the planet and the backs of the attendees carting this crap around. I later discovered that SXSW organizers encourage people to recycle the stuff by leaving it in designated spots in the convention center if they aren’t going to use it. But isn’t the path REDUCE reuse recycle? Why make the crap in the first place?
Agreed, we want to get into the minds of attendees. Agreed, the conference needs the money that will come from these sponsorship deals. But how can we do this better?
First, how about putting something useful in there? A notebook or notepad, as old school as it seems, is great, because who has anything other than their laptops to take notes on. A pen is also a good idea. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve need a pen here to not have one. I liked O’Reilly’s minibook - they had a game book in there with old school pen and paper games. I saved that.
Next, how about using less paper? A postcard directing me to a web site is better than a full catalog (I’m talking about you, New Riders). Even so, there are a LOT of pieces of paper in there. Card stock does stand out more, but again, is more costly and harmful to the environment. I’m not all that crunchy, but seriously, use your brain and think GREEN.
I left SXSW convinced that there has to be a better solution. I’ve heard other marketers suggest a small slip of paper in the bag directed to a web site, but I want to think out of the box bag. What can we do to get our message across, deliver sponsorship money to SXSW, and still not contribute to the heapload of crap that’s about to descend on the Austin TX landfills? And how can these lessons be applied to other trade shows going forward?
Marketers, the challenge is up to you.
Comments
That sad part is that this happen EVERYWHERE, I think of eBay live, sigh. Actually, I take that back, Sundance was actually not like this, if you don't take into account the random/wannabe promoter who was passing out flyers to their "party" somewhere. What about a flash drive with all the relevant sponsor info?
MARCH 19 2008 AT 8:55 PM
I mean to say "happens", not "happen" ;)
MARCH 19 2008 AT 8:56 PM
A flash drive would be a great idea, especially for a book publisher (I work for one). Think value add - if I could put sample chapters of upcoming books on flash drive, I'd be all over that.
MARCH 20 2008 AT 6:09 AM
Seems rather archaic doesn't it??
Who these days will buy anything without playing with it, hearing it, tasting it, etc. etc. first?
The flyer/catalog model of marketing should be put away on a shelf somewhere. Let's get some creative (green) minds out there coming up with green ways to promote what they are trying to sell us. I love the idea of a flash drive. Bands can stick a few tracks on them along with stunning press kits and then leave plenty of space so people can keep using those bad boys over and over and over again.
MARCH 20 2008 AT 2:46 PM
The bag itself could be the answer, or one of them. If it is a good sturdy canvas (or bamboo) bag, all sponsors could have their names and links and logos printed on the bag. Talk about long term advertising! It would be visable to people, for years to come, who don't even know what SXSW (or whatever) is.
MARCH 23 2008 AT 5:50 PM
Cat - Adobe did sponsor the bag, which was good, but you could have a bag with multiple logos on it. It would look like a NASCAR car, but that's ok!
JD - Flash drives all around then!
MARCH 24 2008 AT 1:04 PM
Yeah, unfortunately, this is the same kind of stuff I always see going on in these kinds of gathering.
I have bags upon bags of useless swag I've walked out of Ozzfest with the last couple years that I don't know what I'm going to do with. I don't need 7 CD Samplers, a bunch of ads telling me to pick up products that I know I won't, a bunch of fliers telling me to visit the websites for those products I'm not picking up, and a bunch of fliers telling me to pick up fliers on the way out to visit websites for products I'm never going to pick up. Somehow, I end up getting handed all this stuff by show runners trying to meet their quota. At least you guys got recycling options at the show -- we get garbage or leaving it at the concert grounds, which is as good as throwing it away.
Oh yeah, all of this stuff is in plastic bags that end up tattered on the car ride home, so those are of about as much use as the stuff inside them.
It's pretty hard to figure out a failproof way to get around all of that though, especially at a venue like Ozzfest. TV Screens would get messages across by creating less waste but are prone to rock throwing idiots and/or attempted theft.
I guess there's the option of just not doing it at all, but then I guess precious sponsorship dollars are lost.
MARCH 28 2008 AT 4:35 PM