Between college fairs in May, summer internship programs, and early planning for fall job recruiting, we've been brainstorming and creating a lot of college-friendly swag at Sonic lately. Here are some of our favorite product ideas:
Flash drives. I had a flash drive on me at all times in college. Group projects are so prevalent, it's really rare to complete an assignment using just one computer. Flash drives make it easy to bring the latest project draft from dorm to class to library, passing it off among group members as needed. If your budget will allow, I recommend going with at least 2GB of memory space. The smaller drives aren't all that desirable.
Food and drink. Free food and drink items are universal crowd-pleasers, but they're especially attractive to hungry (and cheap) college students. Energy drinks, bottled water, granola bars, gum, trail mix, candy... they're all great promo choices.
T-shirts. Quality T-shirts that is. Cheap, starchy cotton tees with a boxy fit might get passed over, but students will still snatch up a soft, well-made tee. Even better if you offer them in a few different colors and styles with a wearable design.
Digital download cards. Download cards make keeping in touch with interested students a piece of cake. In order to redeem the reward, card recipients must first enter a unique code online, giving you an opportunity to capture data, like an email address or contact number.
Tech. Tech items- like media stands, stylus pens, screen cleaners, mobile chargers and grip pads for cell phones- have been pretty popular this year. A student is never without their phone; choose a practical phone accessory for your swag lineup, and they'll never be without your logo either.
Sunglasses. Ah, bright sunglasses. If I had to pick just one promotional item to summarize 2012, this might be it. Still just as popular this year too. Go for the brightest colors you can find.
Drinkware. I like to recommend drinkware to clients attending college job fairs because it makes for a great table display. And students, well, they drink a lot. Stadium cups are inexpensive, durable, easy to stack, pack and transport. The Game Day cup (seen above- resembles a red Solo cup) has also been an extremely popular item this year. It's much nicer than a plastic stadium cup- double-walled, appropriate for hot or cold beverages- so the price point is a bit higher than you'd want to spend on a job fair giveaway. Keep it in mind for intern gifts or new hire swag!
