By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert Your booth is buzzing.The energy is high.The conversations? 🔥 But behind the scenes—literally, behind your booth—sit 200 unworn branded T-shirts in a sad, dusty box. You smile through the sting of a burning budget.“This is fine,” you say, channeling the meme… while internally panicking. Let’s […]
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Confusing Swag Is Worse Than Boring Swag: How to Design Branded Merch That Actually Works
By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert Let’s face it: confusing branded merch doesn’t just fall flat—it actively works against your brand. You know the kind. Someone pulls a freebie out of a tote and immediately thinks: 👉 What even is this?👉 Where did I get it?👉 Why did I keep it? […]
We listen & we don’t judge…
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 […]
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 ❤️ […]