By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert When you call it merch but it’s really just an excuse to make yourself cool athleisure wear. 🤣 That’s the best kind of branded merchandise anyway. The kind you love enough to wear on repeat.The kind your team posts about unprompted.The kind your customers ask […]
Author: Amanda Hofman
What Kodak’s Merch Drop Gets Right About Branded Merch and Nostalgia
By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert Kodak just dropped some of the best branded merch we’ve seen this year—and it’s got everything going for it. Let’s break it down 👇 This isn’t your average retro reprint.It’s nostalgia, refined. The vintage logos? On point.The film-inspired color palette? Delicious.The Super 8 energy? So […]
Why Smart Branded Merch Doesn’t Say “Suck it, Steve from Ops”
By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert I will not print 150 tees that say “Suck it, Steve from Ops.”I will not print 150 tees that say “Suck it, Steve from Ops.”I will not print 150 tees that say… (Okay, I might make three—for my BFFs. On-demand, sustainably, and without Principal Skinner-level […]
Why Your Branded Merch Should Be Your Brand’s Air Dancer Moment
By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert When your 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘸 shows up in branded gear that actually looks cool, people stop and notice. Picture this: six teammates in matching crewnecks, gliding through the convention floor like a wave of good taste. Not a stuffy uniform. Not a last-minute promo tee. This […]
What Sicily Taught Me About the Rules of Tourist Merch
By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert I finally put words to something I’ve felt for years about tourist merch. On my trip to Sicily last week, it clicked: Tourist merch follows the opposite rules of everything I teach brands about corporate swag. When I work with companies on branded merch, I […]
Why Tourist Merch Breaks Every Rule—And Still Works
By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert Tourist merch breaks every merch rule I give brands and it works. When we design corporate swag, I preach:📣 Subtle logo📣 Lead with values📣 Create something people want to wear, not something they feel obligated to But travel merch?Big. Bold. Zero chill. City names in […]
When Tourist Merch Is So Bad, It’s Brilliant
By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert Some tourist merch is so delightfully dumb, it loops back around to being perfect. Case in point: these socks. White crew. Red type. All they say is: 🍕 PIZZA ITALIANA 🇮🇹 That’s it. No clever twist. No overthinking. Tourist merch isn’t trying to be cool. […]
Tourist Merch That Missed the Mark (And What Brands Can Learn)
By Amanda Hofman, Founder of Go To Market On my recent trip to Sicily, I saw the same tourist merch again and again—pieces that could have been memorable but instead felt tired. When it comes to branded merch, originality matters. Here are three examples that were everywhere… and totally missed the mark. 🖤 I ❤️ […]
🔮 The Merch-o-scope: What Your Star Sign Is Wearing This Month (In Branded Merch, Of Course)
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 […]
The Swag Truth I’ll Die on a Hill For: Branded Merch Lives Where Ads Can’t Go
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 […]