Buying media influence: Swayed by Swag

Giveaways. Promotional gifts. Swag.

Whatever we or they call them, we understand them as marketers' tools. The stuffed likeness of a corporate mascot creates a playful connection and sits on an office shelf reinforcing its brand. Dinner creates a debt of hospitality to be repaid by access.

Trivial and inconsequential gifts to whomever controls the money have always been part of the game, but the stakes have grown larger and so have the gifts.

Microsoft raffled off Xbox 360 consoles to advertising executives. Social media vendor Izea rewarded media purchases with "free" Apple products. $5,000 got you an iPad, $7,000 an iMac and $10,000 a MacBook Pro. But all those are trivial compared to AOL's raffle and its prize of a brand new Ford Mustang valued at over $30,000.

A T-shirt, a coffee mug, a handful of bills. When does gift become graft?

As consumers, we understand how the game works. Responsible for only ourselves, we play the game to advantage exchanging brand loyalty for discounts, rebates and gifts. It's trade, a market deal. But in our professional lives, we have a responsibility to others and our reputation rests on the best deal we make for our clients, not ourselves.

If agencies or buyers are influenced by gifts, flattered by special treatment or rewarded by rebates are they really doing the best for their clients? What do the clients receive? Does their client get the best, most effective media plan? Does the client get a reduction on the cost of their purchase?

The more experienced may smile a little at the thought of being influenced by a cheap toy or disgusted by outright attempts to be bought with larger prizes, but what about the newcomers to the game? It's hard to imagine them being wholly indifferent to the attention showered upon them. I think it's up to the seasoned buyers to guide less experienced colleagues.

Some media agencies already have policies regarding gifts, but I think more agencies need to establish and publish clear guidelines. Clients deserve to know up-front that the money they spend isn't being traded for personal favors, but being used to promote their business.

Will agency policies bring an end to swag? No, but it might help limit its sway.