Do me a favor. Check out the shirt that you’re wearing right now. Does it have some sort of corporate branding on it?
Now, take a quick glance around the room. Do you see anyone wearing a shirt or jacket that features some sort of company logo?
Chances are, you answered yes to at least one of the questions above – unless of course you’re sitting in a room by yourself. Statistics show that at least 58% of U.S. consumers own a promotional shirt of some sort, and over 85% of them can recall who they got it from. Not only that, but a study by the Promotional Products Association International shows that wearables were the most popular product category for branded merchandise in 2017. So the next time someone asks you what the best giveaway item is, you’ll actually be able to
Pretty impressive, right?
Can’t argue with numbers. But what is it exactly that makes apparel so appealing to consumers and brand marketers? There are quite a few factors really. For one, a t-shirt offers a large canvas for broadcasting your message. Maximum exposure. A literal walking billboard. Plus, everyone wears clothing – it’s frowned upon to walk around in a birthday suit…at least in most parts of the world. We see the sign “no shirt, no shoes, no service” everywhere we go – for some reason, it’s considered a bit inappropriate to walk around shirtless in most establishments.
There are many options for branding apparel, but when determining which one to go with, you should always start with the end results. Might sound strange, but it simply means that you must start by deciding what you want to accomplish with this project.
Are you hoping this item becomes:
- A fashion staple in the recipient’s wardrobe?
- The first thing that they pull out of the closet?
- Their “go-to” shirt for any day of the week?
If those aren’t what you’re going for, then the item will likely end up as a rag; sopping up the oil on the garage floor or only being worn to mow the lawn. We’re here to make sure that doesn’t happen. A shirt is a shirt is a shirt…but it really doesn’t have to be that way.
In this next blog series, we’ll provide some valuable tips on filtering through all of the branded apparel options to find the best solution for a maximum ROI. We’ll also answer some of the most frequently asked questions that we get from our clients and prospects on apparel decoration options and requirements.
The goal? To provide insight on all of the ways to increase your brand awareness through the most efficient medium: apparel.
