The Backpack: Issue #35

All our best, monthly news in one branded pack.

Friday, April 19

• Top Merch News: Numo + Created Co: Two Iconic Brands 

• Vibe Check: The ACLU’s 4/20 Merch Collection is 🔥

• Trends: What is SEPTA and why is its merch going viral?

• Can't miss content: The first wearable AI is here

Got coveralls covered in your shop? Check this.

Merch OG Taco Bell launches (and immediately sells out of) this drippy collection with lifestyle brand Wildfang. Check out the taco shop here, but as a comparison, look at how Wildfang merchandises and note their promotion on TikTok with Hayley Kiyoko. The goal? (Beyond selling me more cheesy roll-ups?) CMO, Taylor Montgomery: “Taco Bell is more than just a place for craveable food, Taco Bell is a lifestyle that embraces authenticity and values being different.” Live mas, TB!

What is SEPTA and why is its merch going viral?

I’ll bet you didn’t have this on your merch bingo card: SEPTA is a transportation authority, busses, commuter rail, and trolleycars in Philly. Total merch sales for a boring-ass transportation authority? $412,203 in 2023. You read that right. One tweet about a pint glass caused a surge totaling over $10k. Why? “Shorthands for selfhood,” as Linni Kral would put it: folks love to wear the brands that mean the most in their daily lives. Who knew public transport was the new viral merch opp! 🤷🏼‍♀️

Creating kids’ merch for your clients? Pet merch?

Sit back and sip this tea: Arizona Tea just dropped a kid's collection and it’s as cheery as you’d think, like their “Have an Iced Day” shirts. AT merch sizzles (eyes on their skate collection). Since we’re talking smol, how about pets? Beauty brands are in a war for winning with merch, and Selena Gomez just sidestepped the whole game by celebrating her certified animal cruelty-free skincare line with a new line of dog toys. Smart way to win hearts with merch!

The month of May is when you master commonsku 

Through‌out May we’ve got a very special specialized 🤗 series of webinars aimed at helping the key roles in a distributor’s business master the platform. Want a webinar just for managers? Got you. How about just for sales folks? Yep. Production? Here. And Finance? Of course! Not sure which to send to your team? Send ‘em all this link and let them choose!

Numo + Created Co: Two iconic brands

Walk into the coolest, local coffee shop in your market and you’ll see drinkware on the shelves from Jeremy Moss and Ryan Schneider, who started Created Co in 2015. Created Co is not your average drinkware company, they are known and respected by the craft coffee community for their artistry and craftsmanship. So, who do they turn to for an entré into promo? Why, Numo's Jim Martin, of course! We talk with Jim, Ryan, and Jeremy about how two strong and proven —but disruptive— brands make cool products for discerning buyers!

The ACLU’s 4/20 merch collection is fire 😂

The ACLU, stalwarts in the battle for hearts and minds, has now turned to merch to make a stand. Their new 4/20 collection creates a clever hook: the first 420 orders from their merch store get a cool box of matches for free. Check their retro design and statement wear. What are they hoping merch will promote? Law reform. This merch is lit! 🤗 (C'mon, you saw that one coming). 

You know who does Coachella (merch) right? AMEX

If the American Express brand manifested as a real person, you might not find them amid the throngs of fans at Coachella, but AMEX has learned something about fans + merch that most brands could learn: merch fuels the flames of fandom. AMEX treated cardholders to a special mystery box experience which included merch from Reneé Rapp And Tyler The Creator. AMEX continues to do something that Visa, Mastercard, and Discover won’t even try: they treat customers like fans.

Gens Una Sumus: A 100-year-old Brand’s Bold Merch

Gens Una Sumus is chess-speak for “we are one family.” FIDE, the International Chess Federation, turns 100, and to celebrate, launched a snackable shop! They’re also not bad promoters. Their merch game includes a new hack we’re seeing tons of brands try, insider merch, merch only real fans would understand, like this t-shirt of a famous merch battle from 1914. Or this, “When you see a good move, look for a better one” t-shirt. Which is a hella slogan for life, for reals. 

⛳ We did it everybody. End of tax week masters week. Let the golf merch hauls begin. Tons of hauls out there like this TikTok: “That’s $1,200 [worth of merch]!” Annnnnd now you know why The Master’s rakes in millions in merch.

🎒Cactus Jack launches a first-ever collab with colleges to boost music sales.

💜 More on the mental health merch trend and this time, for a good cause. We dig this tote with a very cool message: Every day is a fresh start.

👀 New 7-Eleven merch just dropped for Spring and honestly, it’s pretty amazing. 

🕊️ AI: Brands are putting restrictions on the use of AI by agencies. Meanwhile, Dove is doing it right with this stunning use of AI.

🤖 More AI: The first wearable AI is here, the Humane AI Pin, but before you make the leap, know that Marques Brownlee called it the “new worst best product I’ve every reviewed.”

🍔 How popular is restaurant merch? Goldbelly, who might ship me a Shake Shack 8 Pack on occasion, is now shipping merch. Dig this Russ & Daughters mug.

👂Social news: There’s an open letter from a new generation of creators to President Biden against banning TikTok, note the follower count. In other social news, latest Silicon Valley obsession? Airchat.

📰 Well, Kyla Scanlon, the economist we love, called it: Analog will be a hot trend this year, case in point, Nylon magazine is relaunching their print mag. Tell your clients, backpacker. Analog, tactile experiences (ahem) are the real real. 🤠

😎 Did eyewear brand Alexander Daas merch a lil’ too hard on this one?

🐊 Oh god, NO! (or maybe YESSSSSS?): Crocs & Pringles.