How to brand merchandise
Branded merchandise refers to products that feature a logo or brand message of a company, organisation, or artist.
Plain merchandising becomes branded when this branding is applied. Anything can become branded merchandise, from pens to clothing, notebooks to headwear and everything else in between.
Companies often give away branded products, but some of them are more highly valued than others.
If you’re looking to create branded merchandise to support your aims, then it’s important to ensure that you’re creating something that people want to own.
Low cost or high value?
Branded merchandise will broadly fall into two categories.
First, there are simple, usually cheaper, items such as pens or t-shirts that are created for mass distribution. These might be given to customers, clients, and your target audience. They might be given as free gifts or distributed at promotional events.
Branded merchandise can be something you use as part of your sales approach as a way to remind potential customers about your business. These might include contact details as well as your company branding.
While these items may have a cheaper overall unit price, it’s important to remember that they will reflect your brand so a certain quality threshold will need to be maintained. Cheap, poor-quality brand merchandise can ultimately be counterproductive.
Alternatively, you may wish to create higher-value, prestige items that reflect your brand values and positioning. These may be items that have a certain amount of cache for the consumer, particularly if you have a strong brand image that is easily identifiable.
A good example of this is caps and t-shirts created with the logo of automotive brands such as Porsche or Volkswagen.
Creating the right branded merchandise for your brand
If you want to get the most from your branded merchandise, then it’s important to have a strategy.
Think about what you hope to achieve with your merchandise, how it will be distributed and the kinds of branded items that your target market will value.
If you’re giving your merchandise away for free, then consider what you can do to ensure that your merchandise is used and valued, not just quickly stored away or disposed of.
If you’re creating higher-value items with the aim of selling them, then the design is everything. You need to create items which are high-quality and quickly coveted by your target audience.
Invest in great design
While the simplest way to brand merchandise is to apply your company logo to your chosen items, it makes sense to think about design. Investing in great design can make all the difference in how your branded merchandising is received.
Some logos and designs will not automatically complement the item you’ve chosen to add branding to, so you may need to make amendments. You also might have a specific event or campaign in mind, or branded merchandise might even be an opportunity to refresh and update your branding.
Iconic branded hats from Flexfit Headwear
Flexfit is a global name synonymous with design excellence and quality. We can help you create outstanding branded merchandise for your company or organisation.
Our industry-leading branded headwear puts innovation at the forefront and we can design and supply premium branded Yupoong caps and Flexfit hats to get your business noticed.
Why not contact us today to find out more about our products and our approach?
