MERCHANDISE
This is different from products in the way of who the target market is. Merch is typically for the fans of the brand. These are the people who go to a concert or a pop up shop and come home with their bags filled. Merch can also be the swag bags and what’s inside of them handed out at that early morning business meeting that could’ve been an email. Either way, merch is specifically for promoting the brand.
And strangely enough, it often gets overlooked or thrown together as an afterthought… and it shows. By this point you should know we’re all about quality. Anything with your (and definitely our) name attached to it, has to exude excellence in design and execution. So when it comes to your merchandise, let’s work together and create something memorable, functional, and actually desirable for your community.
IS IT NECESSARY?
No. But should you? Maybe. Not every company needs merch, and the ones that do… need it for all kinds of different reasons. It truly depends on what is trying to be accomplished. Do you want to keep the message tight in the building where everything points back to the brand? Pens and mugs and stationary all come with your insignia? Then yes! Are you a brand that depends more on notoriety and visibility? Would you do well to turn your fans into walking advertisements for your brand through clothing and accessories? THEN YES. ESPECIALLY YOU.
IS THERE A DIFFERENCE?
Emphatically, yes. And quality of merchandise is just as important, perhaps even more important than how good it looks. Have you ever bought a t-shirt at a concert or event, and it faded after 2 washes? That nasty bacon collar appeared because the cheap cotton polyester blend stretched? Perhaps someone gave you a business card once, and you looked down to realize it’s printed on paper cheaper than the receipt you begrudgingly accept from your local fast food spot? What about pens you were given (because we don’t steal pens… RIGHT?) from somewhere only to find out none of them actually write? It goes straight to the trash in most cases.
And that’s not even talking about design, that’s simply about quality. Using those same examples, have you ever received a really nice business card? It’s a pleasant surprise and usually makes you stop and look at it the moment you receive it. From the soft satin sheen, velvety texture, and thick cardstock used… you already know the person in front of you pays attention to the smallest details, and raise your expectations. Or with clothing, you can tell a t-shirt’s quality from the first touch most of the time. Sometimes you can tell without even touching it. Recently during the press run of Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan’s “Sinners” movie, UNIQLO’s clothing brand became a trending topic simply because of how great Michael’s white tee looked in multiple interviews. A plain white tee. I wish I could say I was joking, but UNIQLO saw a ridiculous uptick in sales, and quickly sold out (then promptly raised their prices a bit — as they should), then both Ryan and Michael both went on to do a magazine cover photoshoot for Essence magazine in none other than… those plain white UNIQLO t-shirts. (see here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DI45yaisKYB/) Quality matters.
And design matters. Being in the music industry means we’re afforded the luxury to work directly with the marketing teams of some of the world’s biggest artists. And one of our frequent disappointments come in the form of their merch. You have an artist raking in millions of listens per day around the world, fans increasing by the hour, a billion dollar tour about to begin… and in excitement you run to their website to check out the upcoming merch just to find a fruit of the loom hoodie with their name on it in ugly font. That’ll be $167 please. You can’t close that tab fast enough.
Pictured above are two examples of what we’re talking about. One of those merch items is recognizable even if you don’t know what artist it belongs to. The other, is current concert merch from the (at the time of this writing) #52 most popular artist IN THE WORLD. The first image belongs to the legendary Rolling Stones (#208 in the world for comparison) with some simple keychain merch. That logo of theirs, and subsequently their merch, have transcended music and become something even the trendiest Gen Z-er can be found sporting. And they’ll have absolutely no idea it’s from a rock band that was popular some 55 years ago. The t-shirt on the other hand belongs to Playboi Carti for his “I AM MUSIC” album and tour. Absolutely NO ONE, including most of his fans, would see that shirt and understand that’s what it represents. It’ll go nowhere, even now during the height of the album and concert’s popularity. The messaging makes no sense, the artist and brand are unidentifiable even for his fans, and… it just sucks.
Sure if you’re Beyoncé or Bad Bunny or Bono or something like that… you can skate by with lackluster and comically ugly merchandise because people just want to be aligned with the brand no matter what. But if you’re not in a hall of fame of some sort (and truthfully even if you are) then you should be trying your hardest to make anything with your name or brand on it look GOOD. Something instantly recognizable. Something you can be proud of. Design matters.
WHERE DO WE COME IN?
We make sure to personally assess your needs and come up with not only the perfect merch and roll out for it… but a marketing plan on how to get it out there. A frequent problem in merchandising is that companies copy what they saw somewhere else, figuring if it worked for that company over there… it’ll work for us too. NO. Nobody wants to buy a t-shirt from your realty company. Sorry to break it to you.
TheTEN.Creative is not in the business of chasing dollars, so we won’t let you create merch that you don’t need, aren’t ready/positioned for yet, or nobody cares about. Let us hear your vision, assess where you’re at, come up with a strategy to make those two coincide (if necessary), design some merch, and then develop a plan with you to roll it out and make it count. And to bring it all together, we’ll build your digital storefront for you too, if necessary.
BOTTOM LINE
Branded merch can be an extremely powerful advertising tool when used correctly. The right merchandise can increase visibility and provide a cosign advertisers could only dream of. It can significantly impact your marketing efforts and build customer loyalty as well. We all know how people love their brand names. And it comes at relatively low cost, yet provides high value and return.
In a nutshell, the key to good merchandise is knowing your audience and purpose, nailing the quality and design, finding the best pricing on both sides, then implementing the right marketing strategy for your needs. Getting these things right WILL result in elevating your brand and improving its public perception. Work together with us and leave a lasting impression on your audience and community.
Questions?