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Merch Success: The Crucial Importance of Early Planning for Merch and Apparel in the Coming Year

Merch Success: The Crucial Importance of Early Planning for Merch and Apparel in the Coming Year

Dec 15, 2023 | Freebie, Marketing Tips, Promohacks

Greetings Marketers! As the year winds down, it’s time to gear up for the one on the horizon. Now is the opportunity to lay the groundwork for your marketing success by planning your merch and apparel needs. In this blog post, we’ll explore the top 3...
Hot take: most "swag" is landfill with a logo on i Hot take: most "swag" is landfill with a logo on it. ㅤ The cheap tote. The stress ball. The pen that dies in a week. Stuff people toss the second you're not looking. ㅤ Great merch earns its keep — it gets worn, used, kept. That's not luck. That's strategy. ㅤ We've been picky about this for 30 years. Not stopping now.
This is what merch can actually look like. ㅤ Not a This is what merch can actually look like. ㅤ Not a logo slapped on a thing — a branded moment people wanted to stand in line for. Booths. Launches. On-site experiences that become the thing people photograph. ㅤ That's the difference between "swag" and an activation, an experience, a memory, an action. ㅤ Which one are you still settling for? ㅤ (Shown is THE @made.by.james showing off his custom shoes he designed and customized with patches at the shoe bar—no 2 alike! More to come on this amazing event..)
"Company store." "Pop-up shop." "Merch shop." Ever "Company store." "Pop-up shop." "Merch shop." Everybody uses the words. Almost nobody explains them or ALL the cool ways to use them and the problems they solve. ㅤ A shop is one branded storefront where your team, your fans, or your event guests order their own merch — sized, stocked, and shipped without your marketing team touching a single box or keeping inventory. ㅤ No spreadsheets. No "what size are you." No merch living under someone's desk. ㅤ Comment SHOP and we'll walk you through it.
We're 30. 😮 ㅤ We've been unsupervised since '96, a We're 30. 😮 ㅤ We've been unsupervised since '96, and nobody's revoked privileges yet. We just kept showing up—unsupervised like a scrappy, feral '90s kid—and figuring it out. Doing what we wanted, the way we wanted. ㅤ 'Let's just figure it out' turned into 30 years of building better brands. ㅤ No big speech. Just thanks. To every client who took a chance on us and a big idea, every team member who built this with us, and every vendor and partner who rolled up their sleeves. ㅤ The next 30 start now. brandsxkarst.com/30 ㅤ #KarstTurns30 #karst #brandsxkarst #1996 #MerchThatMatters #BrandedMerch #CreativeMerch #BrandExperience #CHSBusiness
The mystery bricks have spoken. Checkout promopoo The mystery bricks have spoken. Checkout promopooch in his newest form - lego! Our mascot, smaller, blockier, and still full of big attitude. We’re giving one away to celebrate Social Media Day and wrap up seven days of free merch. Comment PROMOPOOCH to enter. #SocialMediaDay #Giveaway #PromoPooch #Karst #BuildYourBrand CreativeMerch BrandedMerch MerchThatMatters CharlestonBusiness CHSBusiness
Happy Social Media Day. To have a little fun, we’ Happy Social Media Day. To have a little fun, we’re giving away something fun. Can you guess what it is? #SocialMediaDay #Giveaway #PromoPooch #Karst #BuildYourBrand CreativeMerch BrandedMerch MerchThatMatters CharlestonBusiness CHSBusiness
Since 1996, we’ve watched merch trends come and go Since 1996, we’ve watched merch trends come and go. Some deserved a comeback. Some deserved a quiet exit. Some should be studied by scientists so we never repeat them. But the good stuff? The useful stuff? The pieces people actually keep? That still works. Comment 1996 to enter for a 30th dry bag + Owala FreeSip. Almost 30 years in, and we’re still here making the case for merch that doesn’t embarrass your brand.
Some merch says, “We ordered 500 of these.” This Some merch says, “We ordered 500 of these.” This merch says, “I saved your phone at 2% while you were lost, sweating, and pretending not to panic.” Rachel’s team pick is the Acehigh powerbank — sleek, useful, lights up, and does not give “free gift from a sad tech conference.” Comment POWER to win it. Winner picked tomorrow. Because dead phones are dramatic enough. Your merch doesn’t need to be.
Somewhere out there is a piece of bad branded merc Somewhere out there is a piece of bad branded merch ruining someone’s summer. A sweaty polyester shirt. A koozie with commitment issues. A giveaway hat that somehow makes everyone look like a youth pastor at a golf tournament. Not on our watch. Tell us the worst summer merch you’ve ever received. Best answer wins this Cheers Beaches hat — bright, ridiculous, and actually worth wearing outside. Bad merch goes in the shade. Good merch gets invited to the beach.
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