{"id":437,"date":"2025-06-25T17:37:18","date_gmt":"2025-06-25T21:37:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/?p=437"},"modified":"2025-06-25T17:37:18","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T21:37:18","slug":"why-the-bar-for-branded-merchandise-is-still-too-low","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/why-the-bar-for-branded-merchandise-is-still-too-low\/","title":{"rendered":"Why the Bar for Branded Merchandise Is Still Too Low"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"744\" src=\"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-25-at-5.35.59-PM.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-438\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-25-at-5.35.59-PM.png 700w, https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Screenshot-2025-06-25-at-5.35.59-PM-282x300.png 282w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s be honest\u2014<strong>the bar for company swag is still way too low.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If <em>you<\/em> wouldn\u2019t wear it outside of work, why would anyone else?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ve all seen it:<br>\ud83d\udc55 Scratchy tees<br>\ud83e\udde5 Oversized, boring hoodies<br>\u2615 Mugs destined for the donation bin<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Most corporate swag feels more like an obligation than a gift.<\/strong><br>And that\u2019s the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Best Branded Merchandise Doesn\u2019t Feel Like Swag at All<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If your branded merch doesn\u2019t <em>spark joy<\/em>, it\u2019s just stuff. And stuff doesn\u2019t build loyalty, engagement, or brand love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So what makes good swag actually <em>good<\/em>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2728 It feels like a gift\u2014not a giveaway<br>\u2728 It looks like something you\u2019d buy from a real retail brand<br>\u2728 It reflects your company\u2019s personality and taste\u2014not just your logo<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When done right, branded merchandise becomes a <em>conversation starter<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It doesn\u2019t sit in a drawer. It gets <em>worn<\/em>. <em>Used<\/em>. <em>Talked about<\/em>.<br>People don\u2019t just keep it\u2014they ask for more of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Don\u2019t Think &#8220;Freebie.&#8221; Think &#8220;Retail Appeal.&#8221;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s your merch gut check:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 Would <em>you<\/em> be proud to wear this on your day off?<br>\ud83d\udc49 Would a stranger ask, \u201cWhere did you get that?\u201d<br>\ud83d\udc49 Does it reflect your <em>actual brand vibe<\/em>\u2014not just your font and colors?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If not, it\u2019s time to rethink your swag strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether you\u2019re designing employee welcome kits, event giveaways, or client gifts, your merch should feel personal, premium, and purposeful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Raise the bar.<\/strong><br>Don\u2019t settle for leftovers. Aim for <em>limited edition<\/em> energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Need help creating branded merch that actually gets worn?<\/strong><br>Let\u2019s make swag that\u2019s worth showing off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>P.S.<\/strong> On a totally unrelated note&#8230; I\u2019m officially out of shows to binge.<br>Got any recommendations for <em>light, fun TV<\/em> this summer?<br>I want something good\u2014but not <em>Love Island<\/em> level emotional chaos \ud83d\ude05<br>Drop your favorites below!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert Let\u2019s be honest\u2014the bar for company swag is still way too low. If you wouldn\u2019t wear it outside of work, why would anyone else? We\u2019ve all seen it:\ud83d\udc55 Scratchy tees\ud83e\udde5 Oversized, boring hoodies\u2615 Mugs destined for the donation bin Most corporate swag feels more like [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"hide_page_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-437","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/437","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=437"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/437\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":439,"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/437\/revisions\/439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=437"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=437"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=437"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}