A Welcome Kit - Case Study

“Welcome Kit” of Promotional Products Helps Smooth Employee Transition During Office Move and Promotes New Eco-friendly Campaign for Prominent Law Firm, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

Challenge: How to leverage promotional products to help employees feel at home quickly during a time of transition while also introducing new eco-sensitive policies.

With more than 900 lawyers in 13 offices from Abu Dhabi to London, and from Beijing to both coasts of the U.S., Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is one of the largest law firms in the world.

When Akin Gump’s New York City branch outgrew its space and moved to a bigger, better, greener office building (one of the greenest skyscrapers thus far), the Akin Gump HR team had three things in mind. First, they wanted to successfully bring together their 390 employees, who had been physically divided in the old building. Second, they wanted to make everyone feel at home in the new space. And third, the team also wanted to unveil a cool, new “Go Even Greener” campaign inspired by their new office home. That’s when the Akin Gump HR team reached out to a promotional product company  for help in creating a “welcome kit” worthy of accomplishing this multi-faceted feat.

Solution: Jumbo reusable shopping totes, microwaveable 15-ounce coffee mugs and branded LifeSavers candies.

The team’s choices for the kit certainly fit: jumbo reusable shopping tote bags, microwaveable coffee mugs and logoed rolls of LifeSavers candies. The hefty grocery totes, 100 percent recyclable and reusable, in the firm’s traditional blue, are both tear resistant and water repellant, encouraging years’ of use. The 15-ounce microwavable, dishwasher-safe mugs, also in Akin Gump blue, come with comfort-grip handles and rotating, locking signature lids that disassemble for easy cleaning.

Some assembly required. Anticipating the team’s need for help assembling the kits (and to minimize stress—things are busy enough just before a move!) the promotional product company also offered  fulfillment services. This way, the products from various vendors were delivered to the promotional products company warehouse, where their team put the kits together before shipping them to Akin Gump’s new office before the big day arrived.

Result: Less HR stress, happy employees despite a typically tumultuous time of transition—promotional success!

When the employees arrived at the new building on the first day, they were greeted with a breakfast and lunch event—and with their official Akin Gump Welcome Kits—complete with eco-friendly products. The HR team’s manager tells us the kits were a hit: he still sees employees using the bags and mugs everywhere—and when he does, he offers a comment of “Nice mug!” or “Nice bag!” Staff members report leaving the bags in their cars so they’re easily available for grocery shopping. And—a surprise to Akin Gump’s HR manager—employees loved the mugs most: they say that the lid stays cool even after microwaving so they can sip their coffee or soup without burning sensitive lips. Both products together make for a more eco-friendly Akin Gump, in the office and out. Most importantly, though, the promotional welcome kit helped employees quickly connect and settle into their new office home—another promotional success!