By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert One of the most common ways companies measure the success of their branded merchandise is by saying: “People took one.” That’s… not exactly a high bar. It was free. Of course people took it. The better question isn’t whether someone accepted your promotional product. It’s […]

By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert Some of the smartest branded merchandise ideas aren’t the most practical. They’re the most delightful. Case in point: Wendy’s recently released a charm bracelet featuring a tiny Frosty, tiny fries, a tiny burger, and even a miniature spatula. It’s ridiculously cute. And that’s exactly why […]

By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert Someone tried to buy a hat directly off our client Ashley Carlson’s head at a conference. Honestly? It’s not even the first time we’ve heard a story like that. When people think about branded merchandise, they usually think about giveaways, logo placement, and promotional products. […]

By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert That’s officially one of the most brutally honest pieces of merch feedback I’ve ever received. Someone commented on one of my posts that they were given a branded webcam cover. They liked the webcam cover itself—but not the branding. So they grabbed a bottle of […]

By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert Nostalgia has absolutely no standards for taste. How else do you explain people collecting Viagra ties? If you think branded merchandise only matters while a campaign is active, consider this: people are currently spending real money collecting vintage pharmaceutical swag from the 1990s. The New […]

By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert When companies think about branded merchandise, they often focus on one thing: whether they’ll make money selling it. But the truth is, the profit margin on your hoodie is probably the least interesting thing about it. The real value of branded merch isn’t what happens […]

By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert Some company merch still has serious “my cousin was my first customer” energy. You know the look. The logo hasn’t been updated in years. The design feels disconnected from the current brand. The apparel looks like it came from a trade show booth in 2014 […]

By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert NJ Transit recently had what probably felt like a great branded merchandise idea: “What if we sold soccer-themed hoodies?” The internet responded with: “What if you sold us a functioning train?” And just like that, a merch launch became an emergency public feedback session. The […]

By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert Lately, Crocs collaborations have quietly become one of the smartest moves in branded merch. And honestly? Microsoft just proved why. The company originally created custom Microsoft Crocs for employees only — a nostalgia-loaded internal merch drop that immediately made everyone outside the company want them. […]

By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert Think of branded merch as your company’s dating profile. The best swag works like instant chemistry. You see it and immediately think: “Okay, these people get it.” That’s the magic of great promotional merchandise. It communicates personality before anyone says a word. Unfortunately, most companies […]