By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert The stars have aligned, and your branded merch horoscope is here! ✨ Welcome to this month’s Merch-o-scope—your celestial guide to what swag the cosmos says you’re destined to rock. Whether you’re a fire sign with flair or an earth sign who values function, there’s a […]

By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert In the world of digital saturation and fleeting attention spans, one form of marketing continues to thrive quietly—but powerfully—in everyday life: branded merchandise. Here’s the hill I’ll die on: Merch lives where ads can’t go. We’re talking about: These aren’t just passive moments—they’re golden moments […]

By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert 👩🏻‍⚖️ Amanda’s Swag Court is now in session.Today’s case? A serious offense against modern merch. 🚨 Crime: Branded Mouse Pads in 2025 🔪 Evidence:895 flat rectangles of foam with a logo nobody asked for. ⚖️ Verdict:Absolutely nobody is clicking for joy here. 💰 Sentence:You must […]

By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert Delta Just Dropped the Most Elite Swag in the Sky And no, it’s not another toiletry kit or sleep mask. We’re talking personalized metal luggage tags —Chic, free, and absolutely dripping with status. ✨ Exclusively for Medallion Members, these tags come with: 🛫 Your name🛫 […]

By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert Hot Take: Most Branded Merch Feels Like Advertising And let’s be honest — no one’s lining up to become a walking billboard. That crewneck with your oversized logo splashed across the chest?It might mean something to you, but to your customers, it’s just… noise. Because […]

By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert Let’s Clear Something Up About Branded Merch There’s a common misconception I hear all the time: I’ll sell merch for passive income. Hard truth?Merch is not passive income for most businesses. 🙅🏻‍♀️ And honestly? Most things in life aren’t really passive income.(That Etsy shop, that […]

By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert Let’s Get One Thing Straight: I Normally Hate Branded Pens. They’re forgettable.They’re generic.And nine times out of ten, they do absolutely nothing for your brand. But last week?A single photo in my inbox made me pause and — dare I say — smile. “Saw This […]

By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert I’ve Seen Grown Adults Lose It Over a T-Shirt Not because it was the perfect fit.Not because it was sustainably sourced or printed with glow-in-the-dark ink.Not even because they picked it out themselves. But because it was launched from a cannon. 💣 Let that sink […]

By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert Not All Merch Deserves a Spot in Your Bag But this little guy?He’s definitely coming on the road trip. Last weekend, I stumbled into a Rivian showroom at the mall — and was instantly pulled in like a moth to a headlamp. Not by a […]

By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert Conferences: Where Sustainability Goals Go to Die ☠️ Let’s talk about the dark side of branded merch.A Reddit thread recently lit up with complaints about conference giveaways — and if you’ve ever walked out of an expo with a tote bag full of junk, you […]