I’m still getting the hang of this video podcasting stuff and I’m totes tired from all the travel — so the energy level is a little lower than previous videos.
Today’s video podcast subject: tacky swag and the need for less junk at the SHRM 2009 convention. I would show you the awesome Ghirardelli chocolate business cards but those are in my tummy, yo.
As a side note: The podcasting is rough, punk rockers. I might need some make-up, a stylist, better lighting, and media training; however, I’m a practitioner of the Bill O’Reilly school of media. I do it live.
Thank you!! You know, you reminded me of two things:
First - I work for a company that is very regulated on giveaways. We can only give away items that total $.25 or less. What that means is that a visitor to say, a job fair booth, may only have one pen, or one key chain. I cannot give away any more than that. I spend most of my time at these events saying “I’m sorry, but by law, I am only allowed to give you one item, so you must choose.” Its ridiculous and I have stopped taking these items because I don’t actually get to talk to potential employees, rather I have to regulate the cheap ass people who must have a handful of my $.15, explode-on-the-first-use, serves-you-right, pens lest I get my employer in trouble, no matter how many names I am called.
Second - when Mr. Jackbuilt and I got married, my mom worked with a guy who was a choclatier (hell yeah!) and who gave us a deep discount on individually boxed, huge raspberry truffles (he was trying to get his business going and we didn’t care if he put his logo on the box - its chocolate!). They were amazing. I had wedding guests, who had just had free prime rib and free booze, asking me the same exact question the vendors you talked to had. “I have four kids at home, can I have a truffle for each of them?” Uncle Joe, I know that you are an unmarried bachelor, with no children and chocolate is bad for your Saint Bernard Sweetie, so why the hell would I give you four more truffles for your imaginary children when I can take these to my honeymoon suite and put myself and my new husband into a chocolate coma?
Seriously, stop the ruler insanity.
The same thing happens at job fairs. Which is why my company refuses to do freebies (that and we don’t have money). We’re not getting any applicants from people zooming by pretending to look at our information while they take a freebie.
I’ve never been to SHRM but I was a regular at the MBA conferences. Some people were shameless. We gave away really good stuff- a little logoed baggy filled with consumer products and a retail value of about $15. People would walk directly at us, with their eyes on those baggies locked in like lasers on a target, and grab 4-5 at a time. The students didn’t dare but other exhibitors, vendors and hangers-on were downright aggressive!
@jackbuilt OMG, those truffles sound awesome. I might, might, might allow myself to be tacky — just this once — and take a boxful. My wedding favors were a roll of quarters for each of the guests who came to Vegas. “Here, you made a huge trip to Sin City. Here’s $10.”
@Rachel Amen, sistah. Also, why don’t you take that money and spend it on something fancy for the employees — like two-ply toilet paper.
@ICANHASLINDA I don’t miss the MBA recruiting. Not at all. Schlocking around bottles of Listerine and Purell while talking about our wonderful finance program was a little too much for me.