What’s in Your Swag Bag? Smart Moves & Missed Opportunities in the Dreamforce 2013 Swag Bag & Daily Session Guides

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The Shrinking Pile of Paper

Mobile DominatesThe audience may have doubled since 2011 but the amount of paper in the bag was cut in half. This change was likely driven by the recognized dominance of mobile. The much improved Dreamforce app also made it easier to navigate the sessions without paper.

Daily Session GuidesWith over 100,000 attendees and 1,250 sessions, the usual conference guide was replaced by daily session guides.

Forgotten BasicsIt’s still surprising to see how many of the ads and inserts did not capitalize on basic tactics to get the most out of their swag bag investment.

Share the DataThe data set is not statistically valid. We are just providing the information as a quick summary. You can download the data sets from 2011 and 2013.

- The Team at PageMutant

Source: Dreamforce blog2

Summary

• Event-specific landing pages and mobile experiences were lost opportunities.

• Hashtags and social URLs were more present than two years ago but still not common.

• Too many of the calls to action were of the “come and chat” variety.

• Less competition in the bag will make it even easier for smart marketers to stand out.

See the animated GIF

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How the Swag Bag Changed in Two Years

75 Ads37 Inserts

17 Ads14 Inserts

2011

2011

2013

Ad count does not include Salesforce ads

Social

Mobile

DedicatedLanding Pages

Booth Details

QR Codes

Phone Numbers

Unique Shapes

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Landing Pages Still a Missed Opportunity

AdsOnly 19% of ads in the daily session guide pointed to a specific landing page. This was 2/3 of the percentage from 2011.

Inserts21% of inserts in the bag pointed to a specific landing page. This was 1/2 the percentage from 2011.

ConclusionAttendees are bombarded with information. Give them an opportunity to gather information without going to your booth. Use an event-centric landing page to increase the odds they will visit your booth.

0

5

10

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20

Ad Insert

1

1

5

4

2

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69

Items by URL Type

No URLURL to Event-centric Landing PageURL to Home PageURL to Landing Page

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Hashtags and Social URLs More Common

Ads29% of ads in the daily session guide used a social URL or hashtag.

Inserts7% of inserts in the bag used a social URL or hashtag.

ConclusionUsing a social URL or hashtag in your ad or insert is becoming more common, but there is still plenty of room for wider adoption.

0

5

10

15

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Ad Insert

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1312

Items by Use of Social URL or Hashtag

No Yes

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Phone Numbers Disappeared CompletelyAdsNone of the ads referenced a phone number. Down from 17% in 2011.

InsertsNone of the inserts referenced a phone number. Down from 35% in 2011.

ConclusionAll vendors seem to know the buyer is now in control of the purchase process and will go to the Web or social channels for information before reaching out via phone.

0

5

10

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Ad Insert

1417

Use of Phone Number

No Phone NumberPhone Number

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QR Codes were Rare

AdsNone of the ads referenced a QR code.

Inserts7% of inserts used a QR code.

ConclusionQR codes were evident in booths at the Expo. Every badge included a QR code and the Dreamforce app had a built-in capability to scan codes. The lack of QR codes on the ads and inserts could be a lost opportunity or just recognition that QR codes are still not mainstream.

0

5

10

15

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Ad Insert

1

1317

Use of QR Codes

No QR Code QR Code

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Booth Details are Common

Ads82% of ads in the conference guide referenced a booth number. Up from 73% in 2011.

Inserts86% of inserts referenced a booth number. Up from 81% in 2011.

ConclusionIncluding booth info continues to be a solid and widely-used tactic. 0

5

10

15

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Ad Insert

1214

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Reference to Booth Number

No booth numberBooth number

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Unique Shapes Call Attention but Aren’t Common

ConclusionThe shape of the insert is a straight forward, but under-utilized, tactic. Only 21% of companies used unique shapes or interactions to help their insert stand out.

Adobe’s arrow shape was easily the most noticeable in the batch, while Marketo’s car was noticeable and consistent with the call to action in their ads and booth.

21%

79%

Use of a Unique Shape

Standard shapeUnique shape

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Sample of Unique Shapes

Items not displayed at relative size to each other

Apttus: FrontPROS: Realism

Marketo: Air Freshener

Adobe EchoSign: Arrow

Back

Front

Apttus: Back - Contest Entry

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Clear Call to Action, but is it Compelling?

Ads29% of ads in the session guides had a clear call to action or offer. Consistent with 32% in 2011.

Inserts65% of inserts had a clear call to action or offer. Down slightly from 73% in 2011.

ConclusionAs in 2011, inserts maintained their 2:1 advantage over ads for use of this response-centric tactic. Despite the clear calls to action, many were not as compelling as they could be.

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Ad Insert

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5

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Clear Call to Action

No clear call to actionClear call to action

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Example Flow - DocuSign

What We Liked• Event-specific URL and landing page• Microsite dedicated to Dreamforce resources

related to DocuSign and their prospects

What Could Improve• Too many calls to action on the landing page• Needs more visuals and headline consistency

between the ad and landing page

Ad Landing Page

Visit the landing page

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Example of Visual Match - EchoSign

What We Liked• Unique shape and minimal text made this insert

stand out in the swag bag.

What Could Improve• The Starbucks gift card offer could be better

highlighted with a visual for instant recognition. • No dedicated landing page for the product or

EchoSign’s booth at Dreamforce.

Back of insert

Insert Ad

Front of insert

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Example of Visual & Thematic Match - Marketo

Insert Booth

What We Liked• Great visual and thematic consistency• Call to action beyond “chat with us”

What Could Improve• Event-specific landing page• Do more with a mobile experience to

keep them engaged throughout the conference

Ad

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Example of Visual & Message Match - Apttus

Insert Landing Page

Vist the Landing Page

What We Liked• Visual consistency from insert

to ad, landing page and booth• Event-specific landing page• Clarity of value proposition

What Could Improve• Tie in the giveaway with a

mobile experience or offer

Ad

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Example of Visual Match - Toa Technologies

What We Liked• Visual and thematic consistency between the insert,

ad, their booth and their staff at the conference

What Could Improve• More clarity on what they do and who could benefit

from their product

Insert Ad

Front of insert

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Lack of Variety of Ads in Daily Session Guide

We’re all for consistency and frequency in advertising, but why the lack of variety in ads for the companies in the daily session guides? All 17 advertisers used the same ad in their space in each daily session guide. Salesforce took a different approach, providing different ads and featuring different customers on each day.

We don’t know if this was a restriction from Salesforce, but next year we hope to see companies use a variety of ads to highlight core themes in their allotted space.

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Sample Ads from Daily Session Guide

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Sample Ads from Daily Session Guide

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Sample Ads from Daily Session Guide

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Sample Ads from Daily Session Guide

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Other Select Inserts

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Other Select Inserts

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Other Inserts

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What We Learned

Magnify Mobile and Social ChannelsThe mobile trend was evident throughout Dreamforce, including a 50% drop in the amount of paper given to attendees. However, most swag bag offers could become even more compelling and effective with a mobile experience and an offer that unifies the insert, ad, booth and call to action.

Shape UpTake advantage of your swag bag competition’s complacency and reshape your insert to get attention and stand out.

Create Compelling Calls to ActionToo many companies appear to assume that everyone knows what they do, so they settle for a “come chat with us” call to action. You don’t have to give away a Tesla, but you do need to show how you can solve a pain point and why people should pay attention to your solution.

Build Event- or Offer-specific Landing PagesWhether it’s a full microsite or a dedicated landing page for your Dreamforce offer, this technique is within reach of all marketers. Don’t miss an opportunity for visual, thematic and message consistency from the insert to the ad to the confirmation page.

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Get the Data on the 2011 and 2013 Swag Bags

Full audit of all pieces

Get the Swag Bag Data

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www.pagemutant.com @pagemutant

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Ask for the Dreamforce 2013 Special Offer

• Manage landing pages at scale• Mobile-ready landing pages• Button & display ad experiments• Use your existing forms from

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