By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert Let’s play a game. Think about the pile of branded pens scattered around your house. Can you name even one company on them? Crickets? Thought so. You might use that pen daily. You might even love the way it writes. But the brand behind it? […]

By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert I hit play on K-Pop Demon Hunters already rolling my eyes, convinced I’d hate it. It was ridiculous… …and I loved it. 🤣(Especially the popcorn eyes. IYKYK.) No A-list actors. No massive ad budget. Just three demon-hunting K-pop stars—and a fandom that turned it into […]

By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert The best branded merch doesn’t feel like marketing. It turns a customer into a walking billboard—without it ever feeling like an ad. That’s the magic we aim for in our merch lab. And today’s spotlight? A tote that’s pure brand energy. Vibe Check: Sol Squeeze […]

By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert “It looks like you’re trying to launch swag… 📎” If Clippy had thoughts on branded merch in 2025, he’d point his little bendy body straight to print-on-demand merchandise. And honestly? He’d be right. Here’s why you should listen to the world’s most over-eager office supply: […]

By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert Everyone’s trying to stand out at trade shows with ring lights, wireless chargers, and tech gadgets. But let’s be honest: no one ever said, “I want to hire this company because of their USB splitter.” That’s because the job of branded merch isn’t to be […]

By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert The new Krispy Kreme x Crocs, Inc. collab is donut-core perfection. 🍩 Think jelly-glazed clogs, frosting-drip detailing, and sprinkle Jibbitz that look good enough to eat. It’s fun. It’s wild. And it’s exactly what branded merch should be. Designed to delight. Why Bold Swag Works […]

By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert I never set out to work in branded merchandise.Like a lot of founders, I just wanted to fix a problem that drove me absolutely nuts. At my first company, I wanted swag. Badly. But the process? A total nightmare. It was stressful, time-consuming, and honestly […]

By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert Some merch makes you cringe. Some merch gets tossed. And some merch—like Oscar Mayer’s Hot Dog Girl Summer hat—becomes instant cultural currency. 🌭✨ This bold, mustard-yellow drop is everything branded swag should be: It riffs off the viral “Hot Girl Summer” trend, but in a […]

By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert 📣 Surprise fact about me: I was a full-on, pom-poms-in-hand, high-kick, sideline-shouting cheerleader in high school. Bigger surprise? I never really stopped. These days, the uniform’s different (a lot more black denim, a lot less glitter), but the hype energy is still going strong—just redirected […]

By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert 👩🏻‍⚖️ Swag Court is now in session. Today’s case: the infamous drawstring backpack. 🚨 The Crime: Plastic drawstring backpacks featuring logos the size of Nebraska. They crinkle. They creak. They dig into your shoulders like you’ve done something to deserve it. And worst of all? […]