We all love swag. From T-shirts to stress balls, free stuff is fun except when it goes awry. Goldman Sachs recently sponsored an event and provided the guests with a swag bag that resulted in some unanticipated results.
The Harvard Women in Computer Science organized an event to increase the number of women involved in coding and computer science. The group could never have imagined the uproar that the choice of promotional products for the event would cause. When Goldman Sachs, the event’s main sponsor, provided cosmetic mirrors and nail files in a swag bag full of stuff at the WECode Conference, it sparked a debate that covered not only the appropriateness of promotional products, but also gender stereotyping and press bias.
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Promotional Products: When Swag Goes Wrong
We all love swag. From T-shirts to stress balls, free stuff is fun except when it goes awry. Goldman Sachs recently sponsored an event and provided the guests with a swag bag that resulted in some unanticipated results.
The Harvard Women in Computer Science organized an event to increase the number of women involved in coding and computer science. The group could never have imagined the uproar that the choice of promotional products for the event would cause. When Goldman Sachs, the event’s main sponsor, provided cosmetic mirrors and nail files in a swag bag full of stuff at the WECode Conference, it sparked a debate that covered not only the appropriateness of promotional products, but also gender stereotyping and press bias.
Jeff is executive director of the Quality Certification Alliance (QCA). Prior to that, he was responsible for developing safe and compliant brand merchandise for Michelin. He has worked with brands in publishing, consumer products, broadcasting and film for over 30 years. Follow Jeff on Twitter, and QCA on Facebook.