The Art of Compliance: “Swag”

4
1487
adobestock_124861533ArtWeiss_webLGBy Art Weiss
From Compliance & Ethics Professional, a publication for SCCE members

I think it’s time to sort through my ‘swag bag’ from the SCCE Compliance and Ethics Institute that just wrapped up in Chicago.

If you look up the definition of swag in Wikipedia you will find the word was first used to describe stolen goods in the 1880s.  A few places further down the list you will find the word used to describe ‘promotional merchandise given away at trade fairs and events.’  Merriam Webster’s online dictionary goes into a bit more detail.  When speaking of promotional goodies, the word ‘swag’, also known as ‘schwag’, dates back to the 1960s to describe useful things like free slippers for airline passengers.  Yeah right.   Not even the warm sodas are free on many airlines now.

As I go through my box of swag, I don’t see any free airline slippers, but I do have some interesting stuff.  I thought it might be fun to rank my swag.  I’m going to make a ‘top 7’ list since compliance professionals have a fascination with the number seven (there are seven elements in an effective compliance program in case you didn’t pay attention at the CEI).

#1.  Webcam Cover.  This handy item from Lexis Nexis is my all-time favorite swag.  It sticks onto your laptop over the webcam.  It has a sliding door so that you can close the webcam when not in use.  So what, you say?  Just talk to the FBI and other law enforcement agencies about the computer virus/worm hijacking of webcams to spy on people;

#2.  Coffee mug.  This popular swag from NAVEX Global made a repeat appearance at the exhibit hall breakfasts.  It’s porcelain with an easy to put on and take off rubber lid.  No more spilling your coffee trying to screw on those cross threaded plastic lids!;

#3.  Flashlight.  This cool, low profile flashlight from Loyola University of Chicago School of Law is the first slim line flashlight I’ve ever seen.  It’s less than ½ inch thin, bright and sticks to the refrigerator;

#4.  Folding grocery  bag.  This “Green” grocery store bag from Aegis Compliance and Ethics not only eliminates the tough choice of ‘paper or plastic’ to help save the environment, but it’s actually green.  It folds up small with a snap closure;

#5.  Collapsible umbrella.  When I first saw this travel-friendly item from Compliance Week, I thought it was a glasses case.  It’s that small;

#6.  Phone case card holder.  There were several of these available, but I chose the black one from syntrio because it matched my phone.  It’s a thin rubber card pocket with a peel and stick back.  It goes right on the back of your phone.  Some use it for business cards.  I use it to keep my driver’s license with my phone’s electronic boarding pass to get through TSA at airports; and

#7.  Everything else.  Hey, it’s free, so it’s all good!

[clickToTweet tweet=”Art Weiss on #SCCEcei Swag” quote=”Art Weiss on #SCCEcei Swag” theme=”style3″]

4 COMMENTS

  1. Many thanks for posting Art!

    Just off the cuff…does anyone have ANY reservations at all about SWAG? I will simply leave it at that for now. I don’t necessarily subscribe to the “Hey, it’s free, so it’s all good.” idea.

    But again…remember…let’s not agree or disagree…let’s keep lines of discussion open by using a compare and contrast perspective.

    • I am not a fan of swag. We tell our hospital staff that they can’t accept vendor swag with logos on it and then we go to a conference and come back with all this? Doesn’t seem to align with what we do in healthcare. Thanks for asking.

  2. Yep – Attended a COI-focused conference some years ago that seemed designed to scare the pants off attendees. The swag bag was full of stuff from consulting and legal firms that promised to rescue us. The irony was palpable.

Comments are closed.