The Backpack: Issue #11

All our best, monthly news in one branded pack.

Hey, friends! Welcome to our newly revised (monthly) newsletter, “The Backpack” bringing monthly news that features trends in merch, top articles, podcast episodes, and global news impacting merch life. Miss an article or an episode? We’ll highlight the best of, right here, each month!

Friday, April 21

• Top Merch News: Client Loyalty Love That Lasts

• Vibe Check: To Swag or Not to Swag?

• Trends: Merch a Burnin’! + Stealthy Swag

• Can't miss content: UPS: Indisputable merch pros

• Happenings: Inspo for Eco!

• Backpack Read-Along: Pssst. We have a secret. High-profile guest alert

Client Loyalty Love That Lasts

Solve for the digital-first promo buyer. Get this shocker: Your oldest buyers are millennials. One-third of your customers are Gen-Z. That’s the real-real now. And if not now, then in 24 months, it will be. By 2025, over 75% of the workforce will be digital natives. What’s more, in the late 2020s, Gen Alpha enters the workforce. Gen Alpha, friends. Digital natives live with life solutions at their fingertips. Everything they want —food, house, car, mate, career— can be found by, first, activating their tech. So, it’s no surprise that research shows by 2025, 80% of B2B sales will occur through digital channels. Best way to win over the hearts of digital-first buyers and win new clients in the process? Answer here.

Spark Curiosity + Speak Truth

Harper + Scott, one of the industry’s most respected brands, rolled out a new website and visual design, and our good friend Kate Hallett (Harper + Scott CMO) joined us to break down the process, the priorities, and her lessons learned. Even if you are not in the process of rebranding or refreshing your visual identity, Kate has some epic tips on how to spark curiosity, speak your truth, and bring forth the best version of all you do on behalf of clients. It’s a 401 for merch pros, don’t miss it!

To Swag or Not to Swag?

Ever wonder what event marketers think about swag behind your back? TLDR: More intentional merch, less waste. "Tying swag to intention is everything,” said Kate Bradley Chernis, founder and CEO of Lately. “Trade show attendees should draw meaning from the swag they pick up.” And this gem: “Don’t forget: merch done well isn’t about you. It’s about me. What will make me lean forward, go woweeeee, snap a picture and share the living buhjeezus out of it? That’s your end game. Back into it.”

Oh, Y’all Come On Now, This is Gold

Dierk’s Bentley and CMT hosts a program called “How Merch Is It?” and it’s as glorious a merch nerd moment as you’d think. Bentley tries to guess the price of his own merch. You should give it a whirl backpackers, and if you nail the prices, beers on me. 🤠

Best merch campaign for Spring, ever?

Defy me. But these grass slippers for lawn company Lawn Doctor are genius. Another contender for a great Spring merch campaign is Jimmy Johns. JJ —the food you crave when you got the cravins’—, created some branded rolling papers they’ll be dishin’ out on 4/20 at a celebration in Long Beach. We have no idea what all that means, but I’m sure there’s a backpacker or two who knows. Got a nom for best Spring/Summer campaign? Let us know!

Whoa, what’s happening with brands?

First a NJ man torches Jack Daniel’s merch over past partnership with drag queens, then Bud Light lights up half their audience for sending a merch kit to transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, setting yet more merch a burnin’. (And causing Anheuser-Busch InBev shares to momentarily tank to the tune of $6 billion). Meanwhile, over 500 advertising agencies and PR firms pledged to not work with fossil fuel companies.

What’s the connection here for merch pros? Brands are becoming a battleground for political and social issues as merch has become important in cultural mainstream as a vehicle for both brands and personal expression. Today’s savvy merch pro should be brand-aware to help clients create merch experiences that square with their values. The NYT has a great article on “red brands and blue brands” here. Because of this increase in tension for brands, you can probably expect more merch-inflammatory moments as the US political season gets underway. But don’t blame us folks, we don’t take sides. Our vote’s for great merch experiences. Merch for Pres!

Buckets, Hoodies, + Stealth Swag

What’s trending? Quiet luxury, brought on by the Roy family courtesy of Succession and also Gwyneth, courtesy of the Park City, UT courthouse. But also, the biggest names in fashion are pairing one of your fave merch items with elegant wear. Fashion pundits are calling it “the gloriously cheap basic every cool fashion person is wearing in 2023”. What is it? An old friend of ours: the hoodie. Sans hood and whattdoyagot? The most in-demand sweatshirt since time began. It’s selling so swift 😜we swear Ticketmaster must be in charge of merch.

But wait, there’s more. Fast food brands are obsessed with the bucket hat. What’s a good example? These subtle Chick-fil-A bucket hats in saucey colors. (I’mma need a bucket hat full of Chick-fil-A sauce). Lesson for the promo pro? Quiet luxury means tonal imprints, subdued messaging, branding on the inside tags, and apparel that looks elegant. Elegant, not beige. And for the love of all millennials, not gray (jk). And you should make sure a hoodie, a sweatshirt, and a bucket hat are in play for every brand you work with or at least on deck for your next merch shop. 😉

Inspo for Eco

Our friends Danny Rosin and Robert Fiveash of Brand Fuel fulfilled a decades-long dream: achieving B-Corp status and ratifying their values to use branded merchandise as a force for good. Want to hear the backstory? Join us at Product Summit: Sustainability on Thursday, May 4 from 2-5 PM ET, where Danny and Mel Hubner (Brand Fuel’s Dir of Social Impact & Sustainability) will talk about their journey and how you can use branded merch as a force for good. Want more inspo now? Check out these 5 Sustainable Distributors promoting eco-friendly products.

An Exclusive: Seth Godin’s New Book!

Pssst! [Librarian voice], we got a secret to share: We have another Seth Godin exclusive for ya. His Sethness will be joining our very own Mark Graham and Bobby Lehew to film a special skucast episode to be released on May 30, 2023. And for our Backpacker read-along, we’ve got some free copies of Seth’s book (Song of Significance) that you can win. Register here. And don’t worry, we’ll share the recording with you soon!

💖 Heartwarming: Check out this box of swag that arrived with free tickets from UPS for the Masters. The recipient? A 12-year-old entrepreneur. UPS delivers, friends.

❄️ What’s cold: Inflation cools notably.

🔥 What’s hot: ChatGPT user growth, whoa.

✌️ Related: 35 ways people are using AI now, here’s how we’re using it, and here’s how our friends at Media Tree are using it. How about you? Let us know how you’re using AI in your life and we’ll feature your story in an upcoming article!