Merch That Gives Us the Ick: Common Branded Swag Mistakes to Avoid

By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert

Let’s talk about the side of branded merch and swag nobody wants to admit…

The ick.

You know exactly what we’re talking about. The moments where your company swag program quietly goes off the rails—and everyone feels it, but no one says it out loud.

Here are some of the biggest red flags we see in branded merchandise programs:

🚩 Ordering 500 units because someone said “round up just in case”
🚩 A Slack thread begging people to take one
🚩 The intern being told to “just figure out the merch situation”
🚩 A box labeled “assorted sizes” that is 94% Small
🚩 Reordering the same exact thing for the third year in a row because nobody wants to have the conversation
🚩 Sending merch to people who never asked for it and calling it a gift
🚩 A suspicious pile of tees that’s been there so long it has tenure
🚩 A Google Sheet titled “MERCH PLAN FINAL FINAL v7”

If any of these feel familiar… yeah.

Why These Swag Mistakes Happen

Most of these issues don’t come from bad intentions—they come from treating branded merch like an afterthought.

No clear strategy.
No ownership.
No real understanding of what people actually want.

So decisions get made based on convenience:

  • Order too much “just in case”
  • Repeat what you did last year
  • Assign it to whoever has bandwidth (hi, intern 👋)
  • Hope people take it off your hands

The result? Overstock, underwhelming swag, and zero brand impact.

The Hidden Cost of Bad Branded Merchandise

When your swag program falls into these patterns, it costs more than just money.

You lose:

  • Storage space
  • Budget on unused inventory
  • Opportunities to create meaningful brand moments
  • Employee and customer excitement

And worst of all? Your merch becomes forgettable—or worse, unwanted.

What Good Branded Merch Looks Like Instead

A strong branded merchandise strategy flips the script.

Instead of guessing, it focuses on:

  • Intentional quantities (not panic ordering)
  • Clear ownership and expertise
  • Audience-first product selection
  • Fresh, evolving designs—not repeats on autopilot
  • Opt-in distribution, not forced “gifting”

Because the goal of great swag isn’t just to distribute items—it’s to create something people actually want.

The Litmus Test for Your Swag Program

Ask yourself:

  • Are people excited to receive your merch—or avoiding eye contact in Slack?
  • Are you creating demand—or trying to offload inventory?
  • Is your merch program strategic—or reactive?

If your answer leans toward the red flags above… it might be time for a reset.

Let’s Fix the Ick

Branded merch should feel like a win—not a warehouse problem.

It should spark interest, build connection, and actually reflect your brand—not sit in a box collecting dust (and tenure).

So… what did we miss?

And if this list felt a little too close to home, you already know what to do.