Strategy June 23, 2020
Swag Still Part of Apple’s Virtual WWDC20
Students who won a contest tied to the event received a jacket with a plaid emoji pattern and an emoji pin set.
Like so many live, in-person events scheduled amid the coronavirus pandemic, Apple’s annual World Wide Developer Conference had to go virtual this year.
Still, the conference known for giving out some of the coolest, most-sought-after branded merchandise in the technology world came through with sweet swag tied to this year’s event, which runs Monday, June 22 through Friday, June 26.
Apple sent the 350 winners of its Swift Student Challenge WWDC20-themed branded merch that included a pin set and a jacket. Accompanied by a letter of congratulations, the items came in a gift box embossed with the WWDC20 logo.
Look what arrived at my house this morning! Thanks @apple! Emoji Plaid! This is awesome!#WWDC20 #SwiftStudentChallenge pic.twitter.com/KcSHFDpLvK
— Chain Reaction Games (@ChainReactGames) June 17, 2020
9to5 Mac broke the news of the select swag gift after one of the winners, Brayden Gogis, who develops under the brand Chain Reaction Games, tweeted about receiving the items. The unique jacket features a plaid pattern made of emoji.
Image from Chain Reaction Games
The jacket also apparently came in a blue-green version, not just the red-pink that Gogis received:
A more blue-green version than the red-pink shown in the article https://t.co/T3Z50VJFyb
— Sai Kambampati (@HeySaiK) June 17, 2020
Meanwhile, the pin set featured pins in the shape of emoji and graphics that included the Apple logo, a freezing emoji, an apple juice illustration, App Store logo, a 2020 logo and more.
Close up of the pins! pic.twitter.com/q7Y8iFw6l7
— Chain Reaction Games (@ChainReactGames) June 17, 2020
The WWDC Swift Student Challenge invited young student developers from around the world to participate in the competition that challenged them to create an interactive scene in a Swift playground that can be experienced within three minutes.
“Apple is proud to support and nurture the next generation of developers through its annual WWDC student program — and it’s just one of the many ways that WWDC20 is recognizing and celebrating coders and innovators of all ages and backgrounds,” the company said.
The WWDC20 merch is another example of a virtual event still incorporating branded merchandise. Promotional products have continued to play a role in events that range from virtual beer festivals to virtual races.
Held since 1987, WWDC is an annual conference, often hosted in San Jose, CA, where Apple showcases new software and technology to developers.