When marketing departments think about how to target Gen Z audiences and bring them into the fold, they often think of digital-first strategies. That’s a great start but, it’s not the only way to attract that demographic and it’s an incomplete strategy if a brand wants their attention.
What’s missing?
Swag.
Branded products and merch that build buzz are often forgotten tools that businesses need to employ as part of their marketing plan.
According to 2024 data from Promotional Products Association International, Gen Z loves to interact with promotional products with 21 percent saying they use them daily and 34 percent saying they use them weekly. More than two-thirds of those Gen Z members surveyed say they’ve purchased a product or service based on being influenced by a promotional item. That’s a big audience that could not only purchase from a brand but also promote purchases to others.
At Durée & Company, we help brands build buzz and drive loyalty by integrating smart, well-curated merch into PR and marketing strategies that meet the moment—and the market. Here’s how we approach promotional items with clients.
Swag, Drip, Merch: A Quick Translation Guide
Slapping corporate logos on products isn’t new but it does get a new name with each generation. That’s why it pays to work with a full-service public relations agency that knows the trends and—even better—how to stand out with them.
Here are other terms professionals may have used in the past, depending on their age:
- Boomers call them promo items.
- Millennials call this swag.
- Gen Z likes to use terms like drip, merch or exclusives.
From deciphering collabs and navigating need-to-know lingo, Durée & Company helps brands stay fluent by choosing items that align with audience identity and current culture.
Gone are the days when a company could mass-produce its logo on a water bottle giveaway and call it a day. Today, it’s about creating a product and experience people connect with. At Durée & Company, we help brands align their merch strategy with the values, humor, and micro-trends Gen Z cares about—from core aesthetics to ironic statements.
Why It Works: Physical Touchpoints in a Digital World
Chances are, if a brand still has the swag they launched with a few years ago, it’s outdated. Hats, bags, and stickers do more than promote. They convert. Sometimes, they can even cause a consumer frenzy like with Trader Joe’s tote bags.
They need to change with the times, seasonality and values their audiences align with. Gen Z wants something new and fresh to look forward to getting when they see a brand at a conference or trade show each year or, attendees want merch from the conference itself—such as with SXSW—to increase their cool factor and feel like a part of a community.
Branded swag creates a shared sense of belonging, whether it’s igniting a reboot of 2000s icons, including Ed Hardy coming into fashion again or, seeing an influencer use one of their favorite beauty products on a social media video. Using the same products or wearing the same gear as others they look up to makes Gen Z feel like they belong and are part of the same community.
They don’t just want more stuff; they want the right stuff. Brands need to understand what that is and ensure their merch is perfectly curated and timed for maximum impact.
Durée & Company’s Approach to Swag Curation
Merch only creates buzz when it’s created correctly and presented strategically. Brands shouldn’t simply upload their logo to a generic merchandise product company and order hundreds of products in various colors if they’re looking to make an impact.
What’s missing from that exchange? Humans. Like those experienced members of the team at Durée & Company who work diligently to stay abreast of the latest merch trends, maintain relationships with relevant influencers in each industry, and know how to create a promotional opportunity with a brand that people want to wear, use, and post.
Durée & Company facilitates the entire merch building process, ensuring the brand’s goals align with the merch design, who should be receiving the product, the outcome the business wants to get from that experience, and how the brand’s values and messaging are curated throughout the experience.
Great swag can turn products into PR and land media mentions, anchor events, and provide constant brand visibility online and in real life.
Build Drip That Delivers
Gen Z loyalty takes effort to win but, with the right approach, it sticks (literally and figuratively). They want transparency from brands in messaging and physical products. If this generation is getting merch from a company that says environmental causes are important to them, they want that reflected in promotional items as well like in the form of eco-friendly bags, tech, and sustainably-made products.
Merch is more than an add-on to top off a campaign. It’s a conversation starter that can change the game of how a brand is perceived and received. Reach out to our team to make merch marketing speak volumes.
Durée & Company blends PR, experiential strategy, influencer engagement, and creative merchandising to build campaigns that drive brand love beyond the scroll.
About Durée & Company, Inc.
Founded in 1999, Durée & Company is a full-service, well-respected and highly creative public relations and marketing agency serving a diverse client base of local, national and international consumer brands, landmark industries, business leaders, and philanthropists from its offices in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Aspen, Colorado. Practice areas include nonprofit, hospitality, business, lifestyle, health and wellness, legal, real estate, yacht and marine as well as cannabis, psychedelics, and other emerging industries. Durée & Company is a member of some of the nation’s most elite professional organizations including PR Boutiques International™ (PRBI) and The Cannabis Marketing Association, and is a corporate partner of Cannabis LAB. To learn more, call 954-723-9350; go to dureeandcompany.com; cannabismarketingpr.com; or psychedelicpr.com. Join the social conversation and follow Durée & Company on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube and LinkedIn at @DureeCoPR
