In this ebook you will learn answers to the following questions: How effectively were event- or offer-specific landing pages used by advertisers? What happened to the use of social URLs and phone numbers? What impact did mobile devices have on the amount of inserts and types of programs? What else could advertisers do to improve their programs next year? Which companies did a good job of matching the messaging, visuals and offer throughout the show experience? Which techniques were more popular than in Dreamforce 2011? What did the ads look like?

1. What’s in Your
Swag Bag?
Smart Moves & Missed Opportunities
in the Dreamforce 2013 Swag Bag &
Daily Session Guides
1

2. The Shrinking Pile of Paper
Mobile Dominates
The audience may have doubled since 2011 but the amount of paper
in the bag was cut in half. This change was likely driven by the
recognized dominance of mobile. The much improved Dreamforce
app also made it easier to navigate the sessions without paper.
Daily Session Guides
With over 100,000 attendees and 1,250 sessions, the usual
conference guide was replaced by daily session guides.
Forgotten Basics
It’s still surprising to see how many of the ads and inserts did not
capitalize on basic tactics to get the most out of their swag bag
investment.
Share the Data
The data set is not statistically valid. We are just providing the
information as a quick summary. You can download the data sets
from 2011 and 2013.
- The Team at PageMutant
Source: Dreamforce blog
2

3. Summary
• Event-specific landing pages and mobile experiences
were lost opportunities.
• Hashtags and social URLs were more present than two
years ago but still not common.
• Too many of the calls to action were of the “come and
chat” variety.
• Less competition in the bag will make it even easier for
smart marketers to stand out.
See the animated GIF
3

4. How the Swag Bag Changed in Two Years
2011
Social
2013
Mobile
Dedicated
Landing Pages
Booth Details
37 Inserts
75 Ads
Ad count does not include Salesforce ads
Unique Shapes
QR Codes
Phone Numbers
14 Inserts
17 Ads
4

5. Landing Pages Still a Missed Opportunity
Ads
Only 19% of ads in the daily session guide
pointed to a specific landing page. This
was 2/3 of the percentage from 2011.
Inserts
21% of inserts in the bag pointed to a
specific landing page. This was 1/2 the
percentage from 2011.
Items by URL Type
20
15
10
4
1
3
5
2
5
Conclusion
Attendees are bombarded with
information. Give them an opportunity to
gather information without going to your
booth. Use an event-centric landing page
to increase the odds they will visit your
booth.
1
9
6
0
Ad
Insert
URL to Landing Page
URL to Home Page
URL to Event-centric Landing Page
No URL
5

6. Hashtags and Social URLs More Common
Ads
29% of ads in the daily session guide
used a social URL or hashtag.
Inserts
7% of inserts in the bag used a social
URL or hashtag.
Conclusion
Using a social URL or hashtag in your ad
or insert is becoming more common, but
there is still plenty of room for wider
adoption.
Items by Use of Social URL or Hashtag
20
15
5
1
10
5
0
12
13
Ad
Insert
No
Yes
6

7. Phone Numbers Disappeared Completely
Ads
None of the ads referenced a phone
number. Down from 17% in 2011.
Inserts
None of the inserts referenced a phone
number. Down from 35% in 2011.
Use of Phone Number
20
15
10
Conclusion
All vendors seem to know the buyer is
now in control of the purchase process
and will go to the Web or social
channels for information before
reaching out via phone.
17
14
5
0
Ad
Insert
Phone Number
No Phone Number
7

8. QR Codes were Rare
Ads
None of the ads referenced a QR code.
Inserts
7% of inserts used a QR code.
Conclusion
QR codes were evident in booths at the
Expo. Every badge included a QR code
and the Dreamforce app had a built-in
capability to scan codes. The lack of QR
codes on the ads and inserts could be a
lost opportunity or just recognition that
QR codes are still not mainstream.
Use of QR Codes
20
15
1
10
17
13
5
0
Ad
No QR Code
Insert
QR Code
8

9. Booth Details are Common
Ads
82% of ads in the conference guide
referenced a booth number. Up from
73% in 2011.
Reference to Booth Number
20
15
Inserts
86% of inserts referenced a booth
number. Up from 81% in 2011.
10
14
12
5
Conclusion
Including booth info continues to be a
solid and widely-used tactic.
0
3
2
Ad
Insert
Booth number
No booth number
9

10. Unique Shapes Call Attention but Aren’t Common
Conclusion
The shape of the insert is a straight
forward, but under-utilized, tactic. Only
21% of companies used unique shapes or
interactions to help their insert stand out.
Adobe’s arrow shape was easily the most
noticeable in the batch, while Marketo’s
car was noticeable and consistent with the
call to action in their ads and booth.
Use of a Unique Shape
21%
79%
Standard shape
Unique shape
10

11. Items not displayed at relative size to each other
Adobe EchoSign: Arrow
Front
Sample of Unique Shapes
Back
Marketo: Air Freshener
PROS: Realism
Apttus: Front
Apttus: Back - Contest Entry
11

12. Clear Call to Action, but is it Compelling?
Ads
29% of ads in the session guides had a
clear call to action or offer. Consistent
with 32% in 2011.
Clear Call to Action
20
15
Inserts
65% of inserts had a clear call to action
or offer. Down slightly from 73% in 2011.
Conclusion
As in 2011, inserts maintained their 2:1
advantage over ads for use of this
response-centric tactic. Despite the
clear calls to action, many were not as
compelling as they could be.
5
10
5
9
12
5
0
Ad
Insert
Clear call to action
No clear call to action
12

13. Example Flow - DocuSign
Ad
Landing Page
What We Liked
• Event-specific URL and landing page
• Microsite dedicated to Dreamforce resources
related to DocuSign and their prospects
What Could Improve
• Too many calls to action on the landing page
• Needs more visuals and headline consistency
between the ad and landing page
Visit the landing page
13

14. Example of Visual Match - EchoSign
Insert
Ad
Front of insert
What We Liked
• Unique shape and minimal text made this insert
stand out in the swag bag.
Back of insert
What Could Improve
• The Starbucks gift card offer could be better
highlighted with a visual for instant recognition.
• No dedicated landing page for the product or
EchoSign’s booth at Dreamforce.
14

15. Example of Visual & Thematic Match - Marketo
Insert
Ad
Booth
What We Liked
• Great visual and thematic consistency
• Call to action beyond “chat with us”
What Could Improve
• Event-specific landing page
• Do more with a mobile experience to
keep them engaged throughout the
conference
15

16. Example of Visual & Message Match - Apttus
Insert
Ad
Landing Page
What We Liked
• Visual consistency from insert
to ad, landing page and booth
• Event-specific landing page
• Clarity of value proposition
What Could Improve
• Tie in the giveaway with a
mobile experience or offer
Vist the Landing Page
16

17. Example of Visual Match - Toa Technologies
Insert
Ad
Front of insert
What We Liked
• Visual and thematic consistency between the insert,
ad, their booth and their staff at the conference
What Could Improve
• More clarity on what they do and who could benefit
from their product
17

18. Lack of Variety of Ads in Daily Session Guide
We’re all for consistency and frequency in advertising, but why the lack of variety in ads for
the companies in the daily session guides? All 17 advertisers used the same ad in their
space in each daily session guide. Salesforce took a different approach, providing different
ads and featuring different customers on each day.
We don’t know if this was a restriction from Salesforce, but next year we hope to see
companies use a variety of ads to highlight core themes in their allotted space.
18

19. Sample Ads from Daily Session Guide
19

20. Sample Ads from Daily Session Guide
20

21. Sample Ads from Daily Session Guide
21

22. Sample Ads from Daily Session Guide
22

23. Other Select Inserts
23

24. Other Select Inserts
24

25. Other Inserts
25

26. What We Learned
Magnify Mobile and Social Channels
The mobile trend was evident throughout Dreamforce, including a 50% drop in the
amount of paper given to attendees. However, most swag bag offers could become
even more compelling and effective with a mobile experience and an offer that unifies
the insert, ad, booth and call to action.
Shape Up
Take advantage of your swag bag competition’s complacency and reshape your insert
to get attention and stand out.
Create Compelling Calls to Action
Too many companies appear to assume that everyone knows what they do, so they
settle for a “come chat with us” call to action. You don’t have to give away a Tesla, but
you do need to show how you can solve a pain point and why people should pay
attention to your solution.
Build Event- or Offer-specific Landing Pages
Whether it’s a full microsite or a dedicated landing page for your Dreamforce offer, this
technique is within reach of all marketers. Don’t miss an opportunity for visual,
thematic and message consistency from the insert to the ad to the confirmation page.
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27. Get the Data on the 2011 and 2013 Swag Bags
Full audit of all pieces
Get the Swag Bag Data
27

28. •
•
•
•
PageMutant dramatically reduces the time it takes to
create personalized experiences on the web and mobile
devices. You can build, track and manage landing
pages, confirmation pages, display ads and buttons
without IT or a developer. PageMutant empowers you to
generate more leads and revenue with less effort.
www.pagemutant.com @pagemutant
Manage landing pages at scale
Mobile-ready landing pages
Button & display ad experiments
Use your existing forms from
Salesforce, Pardot, Marketo,
MailChimp and Constant Contact
Ask for the Dreamforce
2013 Special Offer
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