Naming a new product line or service: easy, right?

“We’re going to launch a new branded products line.” 
 
What’s that?
 
The plan: offer customers a great extension of our logo’d apparel line. A concise-yet-complete collection of…brand accessories. Employee incentives? How about customer gifts? Do the words “promotional products” resonate?
 
See, as our merch team was finalizing the assortment, marketing was testing collection names. How do you overcome an audience’s preconceived notions, convey the quality and thought we’ve put in, yet make the name instantly recognizable to potential customers?
 
Focus group testing netted lots of suggestions: trinkets and treasures, tchotschkes, giveaways, hard goods, event swag. “Swag?” That was new to us. But not to the Oscars, which gives “swag bags” to lucky celebrities.  (“Social Swag” was considered but didn’t stick. Survived less than two minutes. Promise.)
 
Our solution? Elevate the creative presentation beyond what you see in the market. Great photography. Messages that focus on uses, needs, solutions. We use “employee incentives” when it fits. “Customer gifts” works too, in certain applications. You’ll hear us call the line “promotional products” more often until we think of something better.

Comments

[Danny T.]

I have to say this is a difficult decision; I have always known giveaways to be promotional items but with all of these options I am not entirely sure. I think I am going to stick with my gut feeling and keep it as promotional products. You can disagree but that is my final answer. I do like the Swag saying though alright now I am confused.