A tale of two cookies and the impact of brand swag.

Cookie story #1

Last week, I stayed at a DoubleTree Hotel (client choice), and they offer free cookies when you check in. Gimmicky, but cool enough. Certainly unique, with the potential for being memorable and creating brand connection. The problem was that the cookies were super bad; it was like trying to chew your way through a door. Good intention, bad execution.

No big deal, right? Wrong. What this tells me is that if you’re not putting effort into your swag, the rest of your brand experience must be weak or half ass as well, which it was. In other words, it means everything. Consumers remember everything bad and are ruthlessly unforgiving, even with little things like cookies. After all, every touch point creates an impression, for better or for worse. And this created a negative brand impression for me and the thousands of others staying there.

Cookie story #2

We went to R+D Kitchen in Santa Monica over the weekend. Free cookies at the end of our meal! These cookies were insanely good, everything you could possible want in a round bundle of joy. And they were free. Surprise and delight, check.

A few observations as result of these cookies:

(1) If you are going to go the swag route, it should be an extension of your core offering, not out of left field like the Double Tree cookies. A restaurant offering free cookies makes much more sense than a hotel.

(2) Deliver the swag at the end of the experience so consumers leave with a good taste (literally in this case).

(3) Don’t skimp on the swag. The negative effects outweigh the cost saving, so do it first class.

(4) Surprise and delight with your swag, which can offer more opportunities for surprise and delight – R+D could’ve pointed to a feature dessert to pair with the cookies, they could have offered a dozen to purchase in branded collateral to take home, they could have made this product the one recipe they share, they could’ve shared a story on how these cookies bring their brand’s essence to life, they could’ve gamified it and offered more cookies if I offered my opinion on the dining experience. Leveraging the experience more could have created a deeper connection and been less random.

At end of the day, swag is swag. A bit gimmicky, but a microcosm of your brand experience nonetheless. So, just be sure you don’t suck at your swag.