{"id":390,"date":"2025-05-28T15:08:58","date_gmt":"2025-05-28T19:08:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/?p=390"},"modified":"2025-05-28T15:08:58","modified_gmt":"2025-05-28T19:08:58","slug":"guess-how-much-i-hate-this-mug-a-tragic-team-swag-tale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/guess-how-much-i-hate-this-mug-a-tragic-team-swag-tale\/","title":{"rendered":"Guess How Much I Hate This Mug: A Tragic Team Swag Tale"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert<\/em>
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGuess how much I hate this mug,<\/strong>\u201d said the employee.
\u201cThis much,<\/strong>\u201d her coworker replied, pointing to the office sink\u2014overflowing with sad, unused company swag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was cheap.
It was ugly.
The logo was off-center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And worst of all?
It was completely forgettable.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Bad Swag Hurts Your Brand<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If your team is rolling their eyes at the branded merch you\u2019re handing out, you\u2019re not just wasting money\u2014you\u2019re missing a powerful opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Employee swag isn\u2019t just about giving stuff. It\u2019s about creating connection, reinforcing culture, and reminding your team (and your clients) that your brand is thoughtful, intentional, and yes\u2014stylish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bad swag sends the message: \u201cWe didn\u2019t think this through.\u201d
Great swag says: \u201cWe see you. We value you. Here\u2019s something you\u2019ll actually use.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Go To Market \u2013 Anti-Boring Branded Merchandise<\/strong>, we exist to prevent this exact tragedy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Avoid a Swag Fail<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If your branded merch isn\u2019t being used or appreciated, it\u2019s time to ask some tough (but fixable!) questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Is your swag aligned with your brand values and culture?<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Does it feel high-quality, intentional, and worth showing off?<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Would you<\/em> want to receive it?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    When your merch lands\u2014really lands<\/em>\u2014your employees and customers will wear it, share it, and love it.<\/em> That\u2019s the kind of custom swag that builds loyalty, drives visibility, and actually does its job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Ready for a Swag Glow-Up?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Don\u2019t let your team suffer through another cringe mug or sad polyester tote. It\u2019s time to invest in custom swag that feels good, looks good, and does good for your brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Because no one should have to ask:
    \u201cWhy do they keep giving us this stuff?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Let\u2019s make sure your next mug sparks joy\u2014not sarcasm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    One Last Question…<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    What\u2019s your<\/em> corporate version of \u201cGuess How Much I Love You\u201d?
    \ud83d\udc47 Drop it in the comments:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • \u201cGuess how many times I\u2019ve rescheduled this Zoom.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • \u201cGuess how much I hate writing expense reports.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • \u201cGuess how long I\u2019ve been waiting on that approval.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      (We\u2019ve heard them all\u2014and we\u2019ve got the swag to fix it.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert \u201cGuess how much I hate this mug,\u201d said the employee.\u201cThis much,\u201d her coworker replied, pointing to the office sink\u2014overflowing with sad, unused company swag. It was cheap.It was ugly.The logo was off-center. And worst of all?It was completely forgettable. Why Bad Swag Hurts Your Brand […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"hide_page_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-390","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=390"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":392,"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390\/revisions\/392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=390"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=390"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=390"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}