But wait, there’s a plot twist. If you thought this was just a millennial nostalgia trip, think again. Gen Z has officially entered the chat, and they are bringing the hacky sack back with a vengeance. Move over TikTok dances and digital fatigue—the youth are reclaiming the pavement. Suddenly, high school quadrangles, college campuses, and park corners are filled with circles of teens looking like they’re aggressively trying to shake a hornet off their foot, but in a totally

Is it just use, or does the entire business world suddenly pivot to the golf course the second the thermostat hits 75 degrees? Suddenly, "let’s hop on a Zoom" magically transforms into "let’s chat over nine holes," but honestly, we are absolutely here for it. Peak golf season is officially in full swing, and we've got the swag to make it a success. If your summer corporate event calendar is looking a little lackluster, don't panic. We brought in the heavy artillery this week.

This product is an HR violation waiting to happen (and depending on the volume) in a black box, with two microphones, and your full-color logo on the grill. Who just emailed us to turn the volume down?! Mike, I knew it. What a party pooper. Our response is as follows: 1. No, we will not be doing any kind of turning down, we are turning UP, and 2. This product stirs the pot a little, yes, but it's better than the alternative of ending up in the back of a random closet collecti

Do you feel that in the air?! My beautiful people, step outside, feel the sun’s rays kiss the baby hairs on your forearms and face, embrace the gentle warm breeze all over your body, and taste the vanilla twisted ice cream cone dipped in chocolate on your tongue (and probably from your fingers, because, Charlene, it's melting on your white polo!!). Summer is peeking its stunning face around the corner… we can feel it, and now so can you Now buckle up, beach bums and luxury h

Standard event giveaways may check the boxes in the moment, but they rarely get people talking. And from marketers to marketers, we get the struggle. When you're putting so much time and money into your booth, you want to make sure it's all going to be worth it, right?! If people aren't talking about your booth, it can feel like a big waste of time and resources. If you want your brand to truly stand out at your next corporate event, tradeshow, or holiday party, the secret is

Summer is in the air, my people. MAN those grills, prep that beach cart, and get Uncle Joe as far as humanly possible away from the fireworks or anything fire-related for that matter. Meme can’t relive another missing eyebrow and “WHERE’S THE EXTINGUISHER?!” war cry from her lungs. Memorial Day weekend is upon us, which means it's time to dig out the backyard games from the garage, dust off the beach chairs, and start learning how to cook a proper hot dog (huge penalty if you

“I like turtles.” Anyone remember that meme?! No? Just us? That’s okay, we thought that might be a niche thing to have mentioned in the opener of this blog, but it got your attention, right? That’s what matters. Turtles are incredible reptiles that not only win hypothetical races against the fast and furious hares, but are also great to admire from afar, sunbathing on a rock (the turtles, not you, Cynthia!). However you choose to love and yearn for a turtle, we want you to lo

When we say “Puffin,” what is the first thing that you think of? QUICK. GO. Okay, hold your horses Johnny, no, we aren’t talking about something leafy green or anything tobacco related either! And nope, not even the cute little birds found in Iceland. I guess that question wasn’t the best question to ask. Some may have thought, “Maybe it’s a puffy vest or jacket? Some sort of apparel, possibly?” and if that was your thought process, you are kind of close. I know those brain c

There comes a time in every company’s life when they must ask the hard-hitting questions: Are we inspiring our employees? Are we doing all that we can to make them feel like they just won a UFC fight first-round KO? Do they think Dana White is about to come into the octagon and waistband them something glorious? Do we honor them with big flashy jewels and belts to make them feel like kings and queens? OR are we handing out sad little acrylic triangles…that makes you go, “Aww…

Swag doesn’t discriminate, it doesn’t care if you walk on two legs or four. Swag is all-inclusive to even your companions that go “woof.” And my lord, do we wish dogs could talk. We wish we could have a heart-to-heart with our fur friends; spilling all the tea, asking all the advice, and expressing an overbearing amount of love we have for every cell that makes up their body. It’s (borderline) exactly how Aunt Jackie greets you when you show up hungover to Thanksgiving… she d

If we were writing a love letter (this blog), this one goes out to hats. The backbone of a bad hair day, the piece that pulls the outfit together by adjusting the back strap a few notches, the protector from the sun to the delicate facial skin, the knight for the eyes against some hefty winds/debris, and the keeper of some incredible trending brand opportunities. Shoutout to the bald baddies out there too, we know a hat is essential for keeping you warm and all those beautifu

Let’s just get RIGHT into it. Marketing team, gather please, sit down, all eyes on me. An amazing swag connoisseur once said, “Great swag is born from great minds and creative thinkers, and that’s what we have here tonight, marketers. That’s what you have earned here tonight. One piece of great swag. If we did 10 giveaways, 9 might be subpar. But not this piece of swag, not this event. Tonight we give great swag.” If we are being honest, the line is hazy on whether that was a

Let's reminisce together on Bea Miller's 2019 song “Feel Something”. If you've heard it, you may have an idea where we're going with this. And for those who haven't, I may not be able to sing this for you (physically and in person) because… well, this is a blog, but I think a good alternative would be to host a little car karaoke concert for yourself so you can experience a small dopamine boost to get that day going in the proper direction. All of this “feel something and spi

Turn Booth Traffic Into Real Engagement with The Pen Bar Experience Let’s be honest: the usual pen giveaway at a tradeshow table just doesn’t stop feet anymore. Attendees walk by, glance at your swag, and maybe grab something if it’s flashy, but it’s often passive , forgotten, and ultimately lost in a sea of other freebies. So how do you break through the noise and get people to stay, interact, and engage with your brand? Well... The Pen Bar Experience may just be the sol

Every four years, the World Cup takes over the world—and with it comes watch parties, team rivalries, and a level of fan energy that’s impossible to ignore. For marketers, that kind of global excitement is a golden opportunity. From office watch parties and sales competitions to tradeshow giveaways and team-building events , the right swag can turn a normal campaign into something that feels a little more like an exciting game day . If you’re planning to tap into the hype t

Don’t look outside, don’t make eye contact or any sudden movements, and most importantly, don’t even bring it up. Because we know, we live it, we feel it—it haunts us every day… THE SNOW. The winter has not been very nice to New England this year... like, WHY are we getting bullied so bad right now?! What did we do?! Honestly, we might start blaming New York for no reason. Your sports teams SUCK. Sorry (we take it back). NY just caught a stray for no reason. Get up and dust y

We are going to say the forbidden word. No one make any sudden movements… LULULEMON. 👀 Every clothing brand tries to climb the quality, look, and feel kind of summit Lululemon seems to have elevated up to. Many brands have come close but… not quite. Fear not — your experts in all things swag-alicious have done an endless deep dive: samples on samples, searches on searches, blood… sweat… tears (slightly dramatic, but this is HUGE). We have found a set of sweatpants and pullov

RINGO. It sounds like the name of a very majestic, colorful, vibrant, loud, tropical bird or your absolutely unhinged and poppin’-off emu (if you don’t know what those are, I highly recommend you get to googling this fantastic creature right now) that your neighbor owns as a pet that gets out at the crack A$$ of dawn far too often. At this point, your neighbor’s scream, “RINGOOOO!” from their farmer’s porch before you even have time to open your eyelids, and it now has become

NO LARRY, dear God… not sometimes ! You think we sometimes come across a product that makes us go, “well how the F&*K am I supposed to use this thing, Kathy?!” or “Bob, does it need batteries or something, ‘cause I don’t have triple A’s on me!” We come across a product like this all the time, and it brings us the purest form of joy to get a sample, sit down (with coffee... or tequila), and figure it out FOR you…yes, YOU reading this very blog! When you have a me (KG) around,

YOU DID IT. You woke up for your 5 AM alarm, you packed your luggage with pristine accuracy to the point where (if it were human or had any sort of feelings/emotions) the list you made is even shocked that you got your 40 pairs of shoes and 20 outfits (you definitely don’t need) under the 50 lb weight limit! You begin to believe everything is really going your way for this trip when you have a whole row to yourself UNTIL…you’re met with the dreaded…plug-in headphones. Those s