Brand strategy.
Voice, tone, the three pillars, and the partner-facing company description — the why behind the brand, kept separate from the assets.
The why, not the assets
Brand strategy is the reasoning behind how we present PerkUp. The Brand section holds the assets — logo, palette, templates. This page holds the decisions those assets are meant to express.
Voice & tone
What the brand should feel like: fun but secure flexible & inclusive easy to use modern
Mechanics: use sentence case. Use our own specific words for the offering — say “swag” and “gifts”, not generic substitutes. Lean on the integrations (HRIS, SSO, CRM, Amazon Business) and on marketing-event swag. Pricing should not be publicly advertised.
Copy rules
How PerkUp sounds in everything we write — blogs, product pages, social, kits. This is the voice and tone reference. Positioning lives on its own page, and catalog naming mechanics live in the Product copy guidelines.
How we write
- Get to the point. Skip the warm-up sentence and start with the thing that matters.
- Use real details instead of adjectives. “Rust-proof stainless steel” tells the reader far more than “durable.” The specifics are what make copy worth reading, and easy to trust.
- Keep sentences short, and use contractions. If a line’s doing two jobs, split it.
- Be helpful before you sell. Earn the pitch by being useful first. If a sentence only sells and doesn’t tell the reader anything, rework it.
- Back up what you say. Everything’s grounded in real info, with a source when it’s a claim worth checking.
- A little personality is good. Forcing it isn’t.
Words & spelling
| Rule | Do | Don’t |
|---|---|---|
| Swag, not merch | swag, event swag, branded swag | merch, merchandise, branded merchandise |
| “On Demand swag” is capitalized | On Demand swag | on demand swag, on-demand swag |
| “swag On Demand” order also capitalized | swag On Demand | swag on demand |
| Don’t call swag items “piece” | item, swag item, product | piece, pieces |
| Swag Pro naming | Swag Pro (previously Printfection) | Printfection on its own |
| PerkUp isn’t “engineered” | built, designed, made to | engineered |
| Product names in Title Case | Champion Unisex Powerblend Pullover | champion powerblend pullover |
| Use the current year | the current year | last year’s date by default |
“Branded” the word is fine (branded swag). The one we drop is “merchandise.” The catch-all is always swag.
Mechanics
- No em dashes. Use commas, colons, parentheses, or periods.
- No “it’s not X, it’s Y” (or “not just X, but Y”). It’s tired, and it reads like AI. Say the point straight.
- Contractions, always.
- Short sentences over long ones.
Stuff to avoid
- “It’s not X, it’s Y” and its cousins (“not just X, but Y”)
- Empty phrases: lasting impression, memorable, take it to the next level
- Hype on repeat: revolutionary, game-changing, seamless, robust
- Vague claims with no detail behind them
- Corporate jargon: leverage, synergy, circle back, touch base, utilize, delve, in order to
- “Engineered” for PerkUp
- merch, merchandise, “piece”
Tone, depending on where it lives
The voice stays the same. How casual or polished it gets just depends on the surface. A quick reply shouldn’t read like a blog, and a blog shouldn’t read like a brochure.
| Surface | How it reads |
|---|---|
| Blogs | Engaging and useful, with a bit of personality. Mix questions and statements so it doesn’t get monotonous. |
| Product copy | Casual, direct, premium. Written for the person who’ll use the item, not the admin who bought it. |
| Social & LinkedIn | Personal and first-person, like someone sharing a real project. Light on emoji. |
| Recipient-facing (kits, swag store) | Warm and casual, talking to whoever’s opening the box. |
Before & after
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| We help you send swag anywhere. | We ship branded swag from local warehouses across the US, EU, and India, with duties prepaid. |
| Give swag that leaves a lasting impression. | Send swag people actually keep, from brands like Nike and Carhartt. |
| This bottle is engineered with double-wall vacuum insulation technology. | Double-wall insulation keeps drinks cold for up to 8 hours, ready for the gym or a long day. |
| A revolutionary, game-changing swag experience. | One platform for bulk and On Demand swag, with the logistics handled. |
Quick checklist
Run a piece of copy against this before it goes out. Checks save in your browser; hit Reset to start the next one.
The three pillars
| Pillar | One-line promise |
|---|---|
| Your global swag partner | One team, one platform, endless reach. |
| Premium experience | Curated, branded, and locally fulfilled. |
| Effortless automation | Connect with your HR and CRM tools. |
Three product truths sit under the pillars: the largest global catalog (On Demand / bulk / kits, 60,000+ gifts, 5,000+ gift cards), global sourcing and fulfillment (warehouses across the US, Canada, Mexico, UK, Europe, India, China, Australia; free On Demand shipping with duties prepaid), and an advanced management platform (automation for new hires, birthdays, and anniversaries).
Company description (partner-facing)
PerkUp is a swag management and gifting platform built for global teams. As a corporate swag platform, PerkUp offers features needed for a successful swag campaign for remote and global teams. It handles sourcing, customization, warehousing, fulfillment, and shipping on a single platform. This makes it suitable for combining with an employee recognition program that requires tangible rewards.
PerkUp’s offerings include bulk swag, On Demand swag (or 1-unit minimum), swag kits, event swag, swag stores (that combine bulk and On Demand), automated milestone gifting, and 5,000+ gift cards.
Key features
| Feature | What it means |
|---|---|
| Swag flexibility | Bulk swag, On Demand swag, swag kits, event and marketing swag, swag stores, and digital gift cards are available. |
| Integrations & automated gifting | 200+ HRIS integrations enable PerkUp to send swag and kits automatically based on preset conditions. |
| Transparent pricing | All fees and costs are shown in every order, and there’s zero warehouse receiving fee. |
| Comprehensive dashboard | Reporting and insights are provided, as well as tracking and shipping timelines for events. |
| Secured platform | SOC 2 Type II certified for enterprise-grade security. |
| Sustainable efforts | Offers eco-friendly swag options and partners with Pledge 1% and Stripe Climate for carbon-footprint reduction. |
Best for
- Global companies and teams with remote employees that need bulk and On Demand swag or swag kits for employee recognition programs.
- Marketing teams looking for a swag platform that offers event swag and a comprehensive dashboard for orders and timelines.
- Any company that wants to pair employee recognition programs with tangible, high-quality, premium, and eco-friendly swag.
Source: Notion — How to talk about PerkUp (voice/tone, pillars, catalog) + the current partner-facing company description. Assets live under /brand/.