Best Creative Swag for Virtual Engagement in 2022

Swag is iconic - and powerful - in 21st century work culture. In a world run mostly by humans sitting behind screens, physical swag has tirelessly worked towards providing an essential tactile element to our work lives.

Not to mention that the power of great swag has helped many brands and stakeholders storm through a crisis — or even completely prevent them. But in a world that’s rapidly embracing the digital, you might have wondered, can swag also go digital? And the answer is a resounding YES!

We’ve put together this guide to help you navigate the as-of-yet infantile, but rapidly evolving world of digital swag. (Don’t miss the swag pack ideas at the end!)

▶ SKIP AHEAD 🚀
What are the advantages of digital swag?
1. Digital swag is highly trackable
2. Digital swag is easy to execute with minimal logistics involved
3. Digital swag is sustainable and waste-free
4. Digital swag is super versatile
Top 12 Best Creative Innovative Digital Swag Ideas
Plus: 3 Curated Swag Pack Ideas
Summary

What are the advantages of digital swag?

Think better data analytics, simple execution, environmentally-friendly, and seriously versatile!

1. Digital swag is highly trackable

If you’re here, you already know that low-quality swag is a cardinal sin one should never commit when launching a swag project.

However, there’s something that’s nearly as bad — and that’s good quality swag that never gets used!

When it comes to physical swag items, you can’t be certain that whoever receives it loves it. A lot of people give away the swag they get, store it and forget it or simply throw it away. And while making quality picks that match your company culture is one way to avoid this issue, this article is about to show you another approach via digital swag.

Because with digital swag, you can track the redemptions and conversions of your digital swag in real time. This gets even more appealing when you’re holding virtual events. If your guests have to provide their name and email address to redeem digital swag, you can quickly build a list of strong, qualified leads. Imagine that!

2. Digital swag is easy to execute with minimal logistics involved

With physical swag, you have to choose the items, add your custom branding, wait for them to get prepared and finally arrange for them to be shipped.

With digital swag, you choose the items, click a few buttons and the item is instantly delivered to their email inbox.

Neither option is necessarily better outright. But the difference between good and great swag is all about recognizing the context and when to use each approach.

At Swagup, we provide quick turnaround swag options, and even a collection of SpeedUp swag items specifically designed for fast turnaround situations. But sometimes you just need something as convenient as digital swag.

It works especially well for casual internal swag giveaways where you’re simply looking to show a bit of appreciation. Plus, the entire process also ends up being a lot cheaper.

3. Digital swag is sustainable and waste-free

The inherent nature of digital swag makes it a great sustainable swag option. It’s not difficult to see why.

For starters, there aren’t any physical items to throw away. And digital products are often digitally produced, making them sustainably built. It’s also easy on the receiver, especially if you’re hosting an event.

There’s no need to lug around a tote bag and digital swag bags also have unlimited capacity, making it easy for you to give away as much swag as you want. Plus, digital swag is a sustainable option that doesn’t come with a higher price tag to match.

And finally, digital swag tends to be significantly more future-proof. Need to update your brand? You can do it all digitally. No need to throw out ‘legacy’ swag items because of recent company changes.

4. Digital swag is super versatile

Digital swag works seamlessly with any use case. If you’re distributing to employees, you can simply send an email with redemption instructions. If you’re hosting a virtual event, you can design a digital swag bag which can be filled with swag from a dedicated redeem page by visitors or by speakers to bags of their attendees. (If you’re feeling fancy, you can design a full-fledged AR swag bag and design AR swag items to fill it up with!) The possibilities are endless and that’s what makes digital swag so exciting.

Top 12 Best Creative Innovative Digital Swag Ideas

Here are a few swag picks to help you launch fast!

1. Gift cards
2. Subscriptions (software, Spotify, Netflix)
3. Brand Anthem
4. Digital Art (in digital photo frames/ smartphone wallpapers)
5. Templates
6. Discount codes
7. Zoom backgrounds
8. AR/VR stuff
9. Apps
10. E-books
11. Subscription Boxes
12. Donations/charity

1. Gift cards

Gift cards are the OG digital swag. What started as a physical gift has now embraced the digital. E-gift cards are solid digital swag picks, whether you’re looking for team gifts to their favorite apparel brands, entertainment options, or a food delivery service.

It’s easy to order a few gift cards, hand them out and call it a day. Except you’d be missing out on a big opportunity if you do.

Gift cards work better when paired with complementing physical swag. This way, you’re also gifting an experience and not just a product, which means your investment works harder and smarter! Jump to the end to take a look at some curated swag packs that complement well with gift cards.

2. Subscriptions

Building upon gift cards, subscriptions are an amazing swag gift. Whether it’s a subscription to an upskilling platform like Pluralsight or a monthly subscription to Spotify and Netflix, this is one digital swag item anybody will appreciate. Again, pair these subscriptions with complementing physical swag to maximize the swag experience. For example, JBL headphones with Spotify or a cozy blanket and popcorn with Netflix!

3. Brand Anthem

This one’s easy. Hire a composer and get them to produce a track for your brand. Play it in your lobby, elevator and other appropriate places. Also send a copy to all your stakeholders. Community building has never been so easy. And if you’re handing out digital swag, play the anthem when they’re redeeming/opening their digital merch.

4. Digital Art

Device wallpapers and digital artworks can make for amazing swag items. The key here is to create designs that people want on their devices. Once again, selecting and getting it made by the right talent can ensure that you end up with a wide range of digital goods that reflect the company’s culture and ethos. Collective creative endeavours like these will also make your brand come across as desirable to both clients and employees.

5. Templates

Your employees probably have email signatures that you’ve given out to them. Know it or not, that’s digital swag. Everyone loves putting their name and title alongside the company logo when communicating with those outside the firm. Take this a step further and provide full-fledged document and presentation templates that feature the company letterhead and design language, for personal use. It’s the digital version of physical papers with the letterhead. A must in today’s world. (Besides, it’s free marketing!)

6. Discount codes

Discount codes make for great casual swag. Your brand can partner up with any business and provide an employee exclusive discount code. A lot of travel companies do this with large corporations. It’s a nice little gesture that’ll help make the vacations of your employees easier while also helping businesses you like.

7. Zoom backgrounds

With everyone zooming for the major part of the day, fun, custom branded Zoom backgrounds can make for amazing digital swag. They’re not difficult to make and your design team should be able to easily create one that perfectly blends with your branding. Plus, imagine all the client side calls your employees will make with these backgrounds. It’s high impact marketing.

8. AR/VR stuff

If you’re looking to gift digital swag that’s cool and entertaining, look into AR/VR products. What can you do? You could shoot a brand video in VR and show it off to your employees, clients and fans. You could also create an augmented reality app that works within your office campus to help employees find stuff like stationery and coffee. Planning weekly activities like an AR based treasure hunt with a great swag gift for winners is another fantastic idea. Leveraging AR/VR also helps you appear forward-thinking, which is never a bad thing.

9. Apps

Not a swag item per say, but a dedicated mobile app can do wonders for your company. It can help increase productivity, make it easier to handle escalations and also provide a dashboard that outlines all employee responsibilities and the like. It can also be used to easily push out company wide announcements or you know, give out swag. And it makes your brand look more put-together. What’s not to like?

10. E-books

Physical books make for excellent swag gifts. But they’re bulky, tough to transport and a chore to store. Gift your team e-books or a monthly subscription to an e-book provider and the bookworms in your team will love you. Take it a step further and gift them a Kindle to go along with it. Remember, we’re always trying to nail the experience here!

11. Subscription Boxes

If you’d like to do things a bit differently, give out subscriptions to monthly snack boxes or coffee. With the rise of the remote workspace and exploding WFH trend, monthly subscriptions to gourmet food boxes are an amazing swag gift. But you can also give out subscriptions to stuff like protein supplements or even makeup. Depending on your industry, subscription boxes can be a great swag option that bridges the digital and physical.

12. Donations/charity

This swag option is great for building brand reputation and employee goodwill. The catch here is that you must be willing to match the employee donation. Else the idea won’t work. Ask your employees to choose from a range of charities to donate to and match whatever amount they’re contributing. The psychological effects of donating are phenomenal and you’ll be glad you did this.

Plus: 3 Curated Swag Pack Ideas

🌟 FEATURED SWAG PACK

The High Flier Pack

THE CREW SAYS:

You know how hard your team works and you know that they definitely need a break or two. Sometimes it’s necessary to unwind. So send your team on a trip with this travel-themed swag pack. It’ll be a memorable trip before it even starts!

SWAG HIGHLIGHTS: Hotels.com Gift Card, JBL Live 650 BTNC, Karst Stonepaper Notebook, Custom Knit Scarf, Day Owl Cord Pouch, Moo Greeting Card with Travel Wishes

🌟 FEATURED SWAG PACK

The Cozy Literature Pack

THE CREW SAYS:

Avid readers appreciate a good book, a great mug of coffee and a comfy blanket to read in. With this pack, you’re gifting several books aka taking them to literature heaven. Want to spoil them further? Point them to a cozy corner or set one up in the office! 😉

SWAG HIGHLIGHTS: Kindle Oasis, Subscription to Kindle, Field & Co. Heathered Fleece Sherpa Blanket, Ember 10 oz Mug² Metallic Collection, Bamboo Soy Candle, Belgian Chocolate Bar Foil Wrapped

🌟 FEATURED SWAG PACK

The Virtual Gamer Pack

THE CREW SAYS:

If you’re a software firm, most of your younger programmers are also heavy gamers. If you’d like to gift them something that they’ll really appreciate, this is the perfect swag pack. It’s got some great gear and a great library of content to enjoy it with. Gift this pack to the overachievers on your team and show how much you really appreciate them.

SWAG HIGHLIGHTS: Monthly Subscription to Viveport Infinity + Oculus + Over-Achiever Sweater Fleece Jacket + Moo Insert Card + Soft Enamel Pin Set

Summary

The advantages of digital swag include trackability for better data analytics, hassle-free execution and minimal logistics, as well as the bonus of being extremely versatile for a wide variety of situations. And your team is paying attention to sustainability, digital swag is also a good option to consider because of its minimal physical footprint.

Pat yourself on the back - you’re now all set to conquer digital swag and enjoy all the benefits and advantages it comes with.

Start your swag project (and save your progress!) on our pack builder today 🚀

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