Stop the Conference Tote Bags
Can we please just stop it with the useless conference tote bags? Who makes the decisions around these anyway?
The bag pictured to the left was the one I was issued at SES NY. I don’t want to single them out or pick on them and, actually, theirs is one of the better crappy ones I’ve received. SXSW Interactive had one that was far worse.
In case you’re unfamiliar with what I’m talking about, allow me to explain. At nearly every conference I’ve ever been to, they hand you a bag upon registration. 99.99% of the time that bag is full of a bunch of useless crap that sponsors paid to stuff in there. That crap either ends up in the trash right away, or it’s left for hotel housekeeping staff to toss en masse once the throngs of tech geeks leave town.
Look, I work in, errr… worked in marketing for many years. I get that this is how the game is played. If you pony up a lot of money you get to have your schwag placed in the attendee bag. If you pony up a really outrageous silly amount of money you get your name printed on the side of the tote bag. OK, fair enough. This is all fine and dandy and the marketing folks get to check the box on event sponsorship.
Can we at least make a couple of rules here?
Rule #1: Why does the bag have to be a silly canvas grocery bag? Sure, people could take them on the plane with them and use them at their local market, but most won’t. The vast majority of them end up in the trash or in the hotel room. Why can’t you spend a bit of extra cash and provide a backpack or a messenger bag? Add the name of the conference and a sponsor’s logo in a small tasteful way and LOTS of people would continue to reuse that bag. Tech geeks love free stuff, especially cool laptop bags. By spending more money on a good quality bag, you guarantee that the bag will be used and the sponsors brand seen long after the event ends. That means you get to charge sponsors more for their name on the bag. Everybody wins.
Rule #2: Sponsors can only put cool stuff in the bags. Stop it with the leaflets and flyers and blah blah blah. Honestly, have you ever read through that stuff at a conference? Instead, give me something functional – a pen, a cool pad to jot down ideas, an iPhone case, a t-shirt etc. Again, you might spend a bit more for that, but at least you have some hope that your branded item won’t end up in the garbage 10 seconds after the bag is picked up.
In short, I’m appealing to conference planners on two fronts. First, this practice is a big F U to the environment. Thouands of bags and leaflets are wasted after every event. Let’s think smarter about promotional opportunities. Second, help marketers make better choices with their dollars. Help them realize true ROI by creating promotional products that are useful to your average attendee.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to empty my hotel room trash as it’s suddenly filled up with junk.
Twitter
17 Comments, Comment or Ping
AmericanCliche
Can we agree the conference tote bag needs to be retired? : http://ping.fm/yiZg5
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
Mar 25th, 2010
Amber
I’m afraid I have to say I’ve had my fill of free bags. Period. Shopping style bags, backpacks, messenger bags, sport bags, totes… enough already! It’s one of the top things I send off for donation. I hate to think about it, but I’m sure the charities get so many of these items that the majority of them go in the trash. Enough with the free crap!
Mar 25th, 2010
jmdickinson
Agreed! Well said Scott: RT @AmericanCliche: Can we agree the conference tote bag needs to be retired? : http://ping.fm/yiZg5
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
Mar 25th, 2010
Barclay
When I donate to organizations that give thank you “gifts” I always tell them not to send me the tote bag. I’ve noticed some of them now have that as a check box on the online donation forms. Good for them!
Mar 26th, 2010
Ana
Why don’t companies and organizations look at the larger picture when putting out all this promotional crap? This echoes so many examples of poor judgment that I see over and over.
My husband got a new gym membership and they automatically started sending him an 100-page fitness magazine as a “thank you gift”. The magazine is for WOMEN! it goes straight to trash.
I have been solicited by a non-profit urging me to get a “membership” in their club and/or make a donation. The solicitation came in a thick glossy envelope, stuffed with 8 pages of promotional info and cards about their organization. What’s the organization, you ask? It’s the Sierra Club, and their mission is “to protect forests, communities, and the planet.” Eight f-ing pages!!! Really, Sierra Club? You’ve just advertised how you live up to your mission.
Our poor, poor planet… There’s no hope….
Mar 26th, 2010
Linda Hendricks
I agree, I got 6 of them for Christmas as a “white elephant gift”. In other words, junk. I admit I do use one of them & gave one of them away (used it as a gift bag), and I still have 4 in my closet collecting dust!
Mar 31st, 2010
jersey
I hate to think about it,
Jun 30th, 2010
chaussures nike
we are agree with you,this is rally good ,tank yo
Jul 27th, 2010
Steven Carriker
Our organization used canvas “shopping bags” for registration materials at the last two Annual Conferences and people seemed to love them, finding them practical and useful. Lots of people said they would add them to their inventory of throw-away poly bag replacements for grocery shopping.
Of course, we serve groups who advocate for low-income and underserved communities, so I suppose there is a difference in attitude between those hard-working, shoulder-to-the-wheel people and the typical yuppie who has little more constructive to do than whine about the quality of the freebies they’re offered.
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