Goal 1
Increasing Brand Awareness for Vektor, Inc.
The main goal of this sponsorship and sponsor booth exhibition was to increase brand awareness overseas.
Of course, we wanted people to learn about the products and services Vektor offers. But beyond that, we aimed to make our logo and staff more recognizable so that when we launch new products or services in the future, people would be more likely to try them early, share them, and ultimately help drive sales from international markets.
Goal 2
Promoting VK AB Testing Internationally
Handing out swag isn’t the main purpose of having a sponsor booth. The real objective is to promote our products and drive sales.
Vektor offers powerful and feature-rich products like VK Blocks Pro, but because they are so complex, creating detailed English documentation and providing international support would be extremely demanding. That’s why we haven’t actively sold our flagship multifunctional products overseas.
Currently, our only premium products available internationally are VK Filter Search Pro and VK AB Testing.
We already promoted VK Filter Search Pro at WordCamp Asia 2023 and WordCamp Malaysia 2023, where we received positive feedback—but unfortunately, that didn’t translate into increased sales.
So this time, our focus was on VK AB Testing, which we released in 2024. We offered it at an ultra-special price to encourage as many people as possible to try a paid Vektor product. This was a strategic move to establish a foothold in the international market.
My Personal Thoughts on Brand Awareness Through Swag
Swag Strategy Ideas
Swag That People Actually Want to Use or Wear
If you casually decide, “Let’s make some novelty items like pens, notebooks, or sticky notes,” chances are they’ll have almost no impact.
Consumable items eventually run out and disappear, and if something has an obvious corporate or service logo printed on it, it just feels like a freebie, not something people want to keep or cherish.
Plus, nobody wants to use something that makes people think, “Oh, that’s just a freebie from some event… kinda cheap-looking… kinda old-man vibes.”
So instead, they’ll just use it at home, out of sight.
Or worse, they might think, “This would actually be nice… if it didn’t have this logo on it.” (😭)
That’s why when we redesigned the Vektor logo in 2020, we focused on making it look stylish and premium—something people would actually WANT to wear or use. We treated it like a designer brand, spending months refining it so that when printed on apparel or novelty items, it would feel cool, modern, and desirable.
Kafleg from the Theme Review Team was using the shoulder bottle holder we gave out last year.
It makes me really happy to see people using our swag for a long time like this.
About This Time’s Novelty: The Shoulder Bottle Holder
About Bottle Holder
For this event, we decided to reorder and bring the shoulder bottle holder, which was an overwhelming hit at WordCamp Kansai 2024.
I already explained the selection criteria in my recap of WordCamp Kansai 2024, but here’s a summary of the reasons we chose it:
- Compact and lightweight for easy transport overseas.
- Highly practical, making people want to use it regularly and keep it for a long time out of fondness.
- Stylish enough to make recipients want to post photos of it on social media or blogs.
- Designed for brand awareness, with a logo printed at a visible size for easy recognition in shared photos on social media.
- Low-cost, with a unit price of $2 or less.
This bottle holder is extremely handy for carrying water bottles or portable phone batteries, and at WordCamp Kansai 2024, it worked exactly as intended. Many attendees immediately started using it at the venue, and it appeared in numerous event photos.
Even after the event, we received tons of happy messages from people saying, “I use it all the time!”
We considered other options, but nothing else matched this item in terms of user satisfaction, cost-efficiency, and portability. So, we decided to reorder the exact same item.
However, since this was our first time shipping internationally, we had to limit the quantity due to logistics and budget constraints. We ended up bringing 290 pieces to the event.
WordCamp Kansai 2024 で大好評だった ショルダーボトルホルダー
Made Selfies & SNS Posts the Requirement for Swag Distribution
Selfie Share
When mgn (ThemesPark) had a sponsor booth at WordCamp Asia 2023, they prepared about 200 pieces of their main novelty item. However, by midday on the first day, they had already run out.
Knowing this, we realized that if we simply handed out our 290 pieces as usual, they would definitely be gone by the first day.
So, we set the following conditions for receiving our swag:
- Take a selfie
- Post it on SNS
I wanted to keep a record of the people who visited our booth
If I were an attendee at a Japanese event, I’d probably think:
“Wow, giving out swag only if people promote it on SNS? That feels so pushy. I don’t need it that badly.”
And I’d just ignore it.
But honestly, that wasn’t my intention at all. More than anything, I simply wanted to keep a record of the faces of the people who visited our booth and remember them.
At WordCamp Asia 2023, many people came to our booth, asked questions, and had great conversations with us. But because we were constantly meeting new people one after another, I couldn’t remember any of their faces afterward. And since I didn’t remember them, naturally, I couldn’t recall our conversations either.
Later, when people sent me friend requests on SNS, I’d think, “Wait… who was this again?” Their faces, our conversations, and their accounts just didn’t connect in my memory—so it was like those interactions never even happened.
A Flagship WordCamp is a rare opportunity where WordPress people from all over the world gather, meet, and talk. These connections are incredibly valuable.
Since we’re meeting people anyway, I thought it would be great to take photos together and have them post them on SNS. That way, later on, it’s much easier to link faces, memories, and accounts—for both of us.
Prepared a Photo Frame
We also prepared a photo panel to make taking selfies and photos more fun. It adds to the festive vibe, making the moment more enjoyable!。
Shipping the Swag
Customs Declaration
The biggest concern was shipping the swag.
International shipping was simply too expensive, and considering the risk of delivery delays or items not arriving at the venue on time, it wasn’t a practical option.
That meant I had to bring everything myself. With 290 pieces, I figured I could fit them into two suitcases and manage to carry them.
In the end, I was able to squeeze everything into one large suitcase!
The Customs Concern
The real issue was getting through customs.
At WordCamp Asia 2024, Weglot had all their swag confiscated at customs, which was a worrying precedent. Would I be able to bring everything in without trouble?
I assumed I could probably bring them in without declaring anything. However, the eTravel registration for entry stated that amounts over 10,000 PHP must be declared. Just in case, I printed out event-related documents and purchase receipts for the swag.
In the end—no issues! I got through without any confiscation or additional tax payments. 🎉
The Classics: Stickers & Snacks
Draw-in items
Of course, we also brought stickers—an easy and popular giveaway item.
We had three types:
- Two versions of Vektor’s Wapuu stickers
- ExUnit sticker
Each type had around 200 pieces, so we had plenty to hand out!
Author Profile
Hidekazu Ishikawa
Vektor,Inc. Founder CEO
Developed the Lightning and X-T9 themes, along with several plugins.
WordCamp Asia 2023 Speaker (LT)
Has spoken at numerous WordCamps in Japan.
Lately, I’ve been focused on management tasks and haven’t had much time to write code.
Hobbies: SUP / Bass / Running / Shogi
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Thoughts on Exhibiting a Sponsor Booth
Despite choosing the smallest sponsor package, we were finally able to exhibit a booth at a flagship…
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Preparing the Sponsor Booth
We introduce our goals, preparations, and strategies for exhibiting at the booth.
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Event Main Report
Well, we had our booth open for two full days during the session days… And I’d say it was a huge suc…