THE ART OF BRAND MERCH

Summary from the TLDR Marketing newsletter

People wear merch to say something about themselves, not to promote a company. A logo on a T-shirt or water bottle asks customers to carry a message without giving them a reason, and only works when the logo already means something. Strong merch does one of three jobs. It signals belonging through a recognizable color or shape, sells more product by being designed around how that product gets used, or lets in people who can't yet afford the core product.