Swag and Promtional Item Purchasing and Distribution

Owned by Martin Walls
Last updated: Aug 28, 2024
2 min read

 

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Also called tchotchkes, giveaways, promos, and merch, “swag” is promotional items such as clothing, mugs, water bottles, notepads, pens, bags, and keychains that display the Syracuse University and School of Education brand.

Typical uses include:

  • Advancement and alumni relations promotions

  • Recruitment and admissions incentives

  • Faculty/staff/student appreciation

  • Conference marketing and networking materials

  • Honoraria and thank-yous (i.e., speakers, visiting faculty)

Purchasing, Inventory, and Tracking

A centralized SOE purchasing and distribution policy enables cost efficiency (especially for bulk purchases), expense tracking, reduction of extraneous spending, adherence to University policies/licensing (see below), and better understanding of distribution and return on investment (ROI).

  • Items are identified, researched, and purchased by the Office of the Dean Office Coordinator.

    • They consult with the offices of Advancement and Alumni Relations (ADV), Academic and Student Services (ACS), and Marketing and Communications (MCE), especially when considering bulk purchases.

    • They keep inventory, performs stock taking, and maintains the Promotional Materials Catalog.

    • Purchases are tagged and tracked by items, quantity, and use.

Purchasing Guidelines

Promtional items and swag promote and reflect the School of Education brand, mission, and values; therefore, items must project a positive feeling about our School.

  • Choose products that are useful and practical, high-quality, and long-lasting:

    • Golden rule: would you like to receive the item yourself?

    • Is the item useful/interesting to more than one audience?

  • Prioritize products that have a low environmental impact:

    • i.e., multiple use/good quality, sustainable materials, recycled/recyclable.

  • The amount of an item to be purchased should take into consideration:

    • Can the item be used by other SOE units and can savings be made by purchasing in bulk?

    • At what rate will the item be used?

      • Will too many of an item be a burden on storage and inventory?

      • Tastes, technology, and branding change—will the item go stale after a few years?

    • Consult inventory tracking to see how much of popular items are used per year.

  • Consult with the Office of Marketing and Communications on design:

    • Only use correct School of Education brand wordmarks, typefaces, and colors.

    • Choose a wordmark that fits the size and shape of the item (i.e., full horizontal vs. small space wordmark).

  • If in doubt, check with SU licensing about correct use of University brand and consult with University Gift Policies (see below).

Vendors

Faculty and Staff Use

  • Individual items occasionally may be offered for faculty/staff appreciation at no cost to the recipient.

  • Faculty and staff may request items for professional meetings, conferences, honoraria, or appreciation gifts.

    • These requests must be made to and approved by the Office of the Dean.

  • Requests must be made in a reasonable timeframe

    • NOTE: It can take at least six to eight weeks to purchase or ship some items.

  • Items requested for grants and other externally funded programs must be paid for through that program's budget.

Licensing and Related SU Policies