Best B-School Swag

Question

As I am cleaning up my desk at work, I'm noticing the ridiculous amounts of swag (Stuff-We-All-Get for those that may not be familiar with the term) that I have accumulated. So I began to think about all of the B-school swag that I'll having coming my way. It begs the question to all of you current students/alumns at the top schools....

What is the best swag you have received from either recruiters or the school itself?

What is the best swag you have received from either recruiters or the school itself?

refurb · Answer

I got a pretty handy umbrella from Bain.

RF

shadow · Answer

my gym headphones broke a few weeks ago, and i was getting ready to buy a new pair. at a conference i attended, barclays gave out a bunch of free stuff - including a pair of headphones. not the fanciest, but it really hit the spot.

riverripper · Answer

I didnt go but hersheys gave out huge baskets of chocolate that I wish I had gone for haha. CPGs tend to give out their products. I got an ipod for a second round interview and tons of thank you gift baskets come with offers. Usually loaded with stuff you toss out when you are moving. I have more water bottles and stress balls than I could ever fathom using.

shadow · Answer

i cant help but think of  this video  when i read this thread title

3underscore · Answer

I got an ipod from Deutsche Bank for winning their poker tournament.

Otherwise, the banks give out really lame stuff. I have a Bear Stearns pen (it broke! ARF!) and Lehman Brothers calipers which break when placed under too much strain. Lots of Merrill crap too - notepads and stuff.

I certainly pride the bankrupt firm stuff the highest. My Lehman guide to CDOs is a personal favorite.

wushu2280 · Answer

Haha, that last line is classic. Maybe you will be able to sell it on eBay in a few years.

I will not understand why companies go cheap in this area. If you have such a small group of people you want to raise your stock with, go large. If I had a really cool Under-armour jacket with a SMALL company logo on it, I'd sport it often. If you get a critical mass of people doing that (say 25), your firm will look like the bees knees on campus. That small outlay of a couple grand will pay major dividends both during recruiting and down the line.

Have we learned nothing from those celebrity gift bags given out at the Academy Awards?

3underscore · Answer

The banks have more than enough applicants to choose from. If you don't want to work for them because they don't give out stuff, they hardly care. They are very clear in the "who wants who" side of things, and that is that you want to be with them.

They give out stuff over the summer more, when they want to get their hooks in. Those stupid sausage bags, beach towels, fleece vests.

I wouldn't really ever want to wear any of that stuff in public anyway. My Lehman long sleeve t-shirt is nice, but has only been seen in gyms or the bleaching of bathrooms. I am not really into corporate sponsorship clothes.

wushu2280 · Answer

From a marketing perspective, I have to disagree with you. Banks may be highly sought after, but they do compete with other banks and subsitute industries for the top talent. I mean, if I get an offer from Bank A, Bank B, Bank C, and Consulting firm D, I have choices. Now it shouldn't matter this much, but if I've seen a handful of other people I know and respect sporting their bag or jacket, the prestige factor of a firm will likely rise a bit. As we all know, people in B-school have a tendency to get wrapped up in what everyone else is doing.

The fact that your corporate clothing is used to bleach floors is more of a statement to the problem of the swag not being good enough. For the most part, I think this stuff is crap, too. What I'd like to know is if there are companies really doing this the right way.

The fact that your corporate clothing is used to bleach floors is more of a statement to the problem of the swag not being good enough. For the most part, I think this stuff is crap, too. What I'd like to know is if there are companies really doing this the right way.

3underscore · Answer

They have league tables, earnings and average bonuses over the press. That is their marketing. You know who is good at what. Later rounds they start pushing some things your way, but the culture and the skill is much more the sell.

Banks and Hedge Funds really don't give two hoots for their marketing materials - it is all about the $$$. I know a marketing guy who was appalled by the pitch books for a $2bn Hedge Fund. It isn't that high a priority. So long as it is tidy and the numbers are right, the wow factor doesn't matter so much.

Jerz · Answer

Here's what I collected from the healthcare space:

Boston Scientific: flash drive and laser pointer pen
Abbott: flash drive, nice (non-plastic) pen, and little notebook
J&J: bag full of their consumer goods (band-aids, Motrin, Listerine fresh-strips, Neutragena lip balm, etc.)
Medtronic: Cheap plastic pen
BD: Umbrella
Genentech: Cheap plastic pen
Amgen: Cheap plastic pen, highlighter

Plus if you actually end up working at a pharma company, there's a ton of leftover product swag (pens, coffee mugs, notepads, etc.) that they can't give to doctors anymore so it goes to the employees.

refurb · Answer

Oh, Jerz's post reminds me I got a really nice 4GB memory stick from Genentech. Unfortunately I can't find it anymore.

I also got a bunch of J&J stuff (Tylenol, band-aids, etc) that was really handy to keep in my backpack. The CPG companies tend to be very generous. Some of my friends got baskets with $50 or more of products, however I don't know how useful some of it would be (acne medication, yeast infection treatments). RF

mba2013 · Answer

When I first read the post this is what I thought you said :D free pills woohoo! lol

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