38+ Takeaways from MozCon 2015

Time for the 2nd annual “Takeaways from MozCon” SWAG edition. This year the competition for the best / most unique SWAG was fierce. We made it through to the last day with everything they could throw at us. Let’s not waste any time, let’s dig right in and review the 38+ items from MozCon (38 plus because I counted multiple items, like stickers, as one).

38+ (literal) Takeaways from MozCon 2015

Here’s my video (it’s only 5 mins…but if you just wanna see the SWAG and not my beautiful face, then keep scrolling):

Moz

It’s no big surprise that Moz provided the most SWAG again this year, but unlike last year, they actually came out with the most unique SWAG. We’ll start with that.

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  Swiss Army Charging Cable

  This charging cable has connectors for iPhones & iPads, old and new, and also a micro USB connector
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  Notepad

  I love me a notepad. I used this to take note of all the MozCon SWAG!
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  Pen

  What good is a notepad without a pen?! I used this to write down the list of all the SWAG!
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  Post-it Notes

  Post-it’s are my go to in the office for taking quick notes…then forgetting about said note.
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  2 Stickers

  Oh yay, stickers! Scoll to the end to see how I feel about stickers as SWAG.
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  Lanyard

  I love Moz’s lanyards, because they have 2 areas to hook your name badge to, your badge will never flip around.
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  11 pins

  Holy pins, Batman! We got 5 at the conference, and 6 during the MozCrawl. Luckily the lanyard can hold them all, else they’d find a trash bin right quick.
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  3 Packets of Vitamin C

  Personally I just need a Coke Zero to get me up in the morning, but it’s nice that they include these each year.
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  6 Lifesavers

  Stinky marketers? Not at MozCon!
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  Organization Board

  This thing is pretty neat. Use this “cocoon” to keep things organized in pretty much any way you can figure out.
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  SWAG Bag

  It’s a SWAG bag…not much more to say. Except it’s better than last years “murse”…which couldn’t hold much.
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  T-Shirt

  Let’s just say it’s a good thing people give out shirts at conferences, otherwise I would have to buy my own!
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  Roger Bobblehead

  Oh Roger, how do we all love thee?! Let me bobble the ways. There were some issues with arms breaking off (including mine). But nothing a little super glue couldn’t fix!

Unbounce

Unbounce had the most unique idea for SWAG, even though their idea was an item that wasn’t intended to be kept. They provided post cards for people to fill out to anyone they wanted, and Unbounce took care of the postage and shipping! What a great way to get your company some recognition. That’s how you do branding!

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  Post Card

  Brilliant idea by Unbounce. You fill out the post card, and they take care of postage and shipping!
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  SWAG Bag

  Another SWAG bag? I’m thinking they were left over from the CTA Conference. Oh well, load it up!
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  Water Bladder

  Ahhh, a water bottle! One of the things I recommended last year. Good job Unbounce!
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  3 T-Shirts

  3 T-Shirts! ZOMG!! So many colors to choose from. Can’t make decision….get them all!
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  Koozie

  Same koozie from last year, but I love koozies, and this one does the job well.
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  Coaster

  I can finally throw away my 2011 SMX Advanced coasters! Thank you Unbounce!!
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  2 Stickers

  Stickers…
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  Sunglasses

  Thank goodness they provided these again, cause mine from last year broke. I wear them all the time! It’s a nice set of shades.

Whitespark

I hear Whitespark doesn’t do much in the way of sponsoring, but I think they need to do more, cause they had some awesome SWAG!

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  Coffee Cup

  Great job on the mug, Whitespark! It stands out from any other mug I own. Good stuff.
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  Coasters

  YESSSS! More coasters! I hate drippy marks on my desk. The more coasters the merrier Paul is.
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  Pin

  At least their pin is different from the ones we usually get. But it’s still a pin…
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  Matches

  White SPARK….get it? Matches….spark…. brilliant. I was worried about TSA at the airport, but they never checked.
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  Sticker

  Stickers…..
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  Mints

  More mints! There is NO excuse for bad breath at the 2015 MozCon!
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  Goal Light

  This was a limited SWAG item that Susan Staupe was lucky enough to get and share for this post. Pretty neat!

Wistia

Wistia is always a fun sponsor. Along with their SWAG, they provided some great tips & tricks videos during the conference.

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  Sunglasses

  More glasses for when my Unbounce ones break! Thanks, Wistia!
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  Rubberband Bracelet

  Is it a bracelet or just a fancy thick rubber band? Who knows…it’s mine now and I’ll use it how I want.
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  Temporary Tattoo

  My son loves temporary tattoos, he’ll like this one.
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  3 Stickers

  Stickers…

Kissmetrics

Kissmetrics, long time mint provider, provided the most useful SWAG of the event…a phone charger! That paired with Moz’s swiss army charging cable made this the perfect item for a conference.

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  Kissmetrics signature mints

  Seriously, when I go to a conference and there are no Kissmetrics mints, it’s just not the same.
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  Phone Charger

  *MOST USEFUL SWAG* How thoughtful of Kissmetrics to think of doing chargers! Good job!
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  2 Stickers

  And stickers….

STAT Search Analytics

STAT is a newcomer to the game this year, I had not heard of them before. But since they provided SWAG, I won’t forget them.

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  T-Shirt

  Another t-shirt. I like black shirts no matter what’s on them usually, so good job and thanks, STAT!

Wordstream

Wordstream clearly got word that it’s kind of chilly at conferences, so they provided a very nice warm blanket!

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  Wordstream Fleece Blanket

  Cold? Not anymore! This is a really nice blanket too. It’ll get some good use in my house (thermostat set at 65).

Seer Interactive

Wil Reynolds is a brilliant man. He knows that people lose things, and he and his company help you find them. His was probably the most sought-after SWAG, and in the long run may prove to be the most useful.

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  Tile

  Lost? Nope, found! What an awesome item to give away. I’ve secretly always wanted one but thought they were too expensive. Thanks, Wil!

For those curious, the card says “Ever lost something and looked all over for it? When you eventually found it how did you feel? Relieved? Probably.

“Every search query is like that – someone is lost and looking for something. We have the power to influence what they find. When people find the content you build, do they feel relief? It could be anything from a job, to a recipe, to a retirement home. You have the opportunity to make a lot of people’s journeys on the web better or worse; lets make them better! We hope this Tile helps you find the important things you’ve lost and serves as a reminder that you too have the power to be that relief to those who are lost and looking for solutions.”

SWAGBMNU (Stuff We All Get….But May Never Use)

Last year I covered some must have SWAG items, and provided some examples of good SWAG items. Someone is paying attention cause I got 6 of the 8 items on that list this year. But let’s talk quickly about things we can all do without, and why I think this way:

• Stickers – Every company it seems has stickers, but very rarely do I see or use the stickers that I get. I often give them to my son, and he usually just throws them away as well. There’s just no good place to put these. It’s not like we’re gonna sticker up our cars with these. So hold on to those stickers, please.
• Pins – Same concept here as the stickers. Althought Moz did a fun job this year of throwing a bunch of pins at us during the MozCrawl, I’m afraid these are just going to end up in the trash bin with all those stickers.
• “Unique” sunglasses – Regular sunglasses like Wistia and Unbounce provided are just fine. I actually use them a lot. I love me some cheap sunglasses, cause I always lose them. What I’m talking about is sunglasses that serve no purpose, or that no one will wear (see Optimizely’s glasses from last year). Hang on to those, it’s just wasted money.
• Earbuds – No one likes or is going to use those crappy earbuds. We know they only costed a few bucks to make and put your brand on. But if you’re going to put your brand name on a product that is going to sound as good as it costs, you’re not saying much about your own brand. Think about it.

This is all just my opinion of course, but I’d be willing to bet others share a similar opinion of these items. Put your money towards something people are going to use and remember your brand with! Then again, I may be missing the point of some of these, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Wrapping Up a Blog Post is Harder Than Wrapping Christmas Presents

I’m terribad at ending blog posts, I also suck at wrapping gifts. But this is it. It’s the end. There is no more. Leave me a comment below if you have any questions or disagree with my SWAGBMNU. Bye for now!

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