This week we are pretty in the promo world and coming from the desk of JGR while Vicki is traveling. 

You wear your heart on your sleeve

This is not a new trend. For the last few years as the t-shirt becomes a staple in every trendy tech campus and now broaden into the uniform of the WFH employee, what your t-shirt says has become part of the wearer's identity. Personally, I know when I don my “Let me show you what hits like a girl really means” CVG Tank or my “Pumpkin Spice Life” I am showing you a glimpse at my soul. This is taking a new turn in the voting community. 

From Fashion Snoops, Designers Virgil Abloh and Kerby Jean-Raymond, each debuted new tees to encourage and bring awareness to the importance of voting. Each of their designs are abstract and artistic while still getting their message across. Tory Burch created a limited edition tee that will support I Am a Voter, an initiative aimed at increasing voter participation nationwide. Even Gap is in the game with an artistic design by Stephennie Factor as a first in their series celebrating activism.  

It will be interesting to watch this merchandise trend and see how it develops. The T-shirt really has become a billboard for what someone feels and what represents them.

Gamers Delight

I am by no means a gamer. I am truly not the target market. But this is such an interesting segment to watch and if you are not participating you should. 

According to Forbes, the value of the gaming industry will exceed $200 billion in 2023 up from it’s anticipated 2020 of $155 billion. This makes sense. We are home, this is a unique way to connect, zoom is crashing and the Fortnight community is ready to host online schooling. It is incredible. No one was prepared for an influx of users like the gamers. 

But what Burger King did to capitalize on this is simply remarkable and involved some well placed merch. In a really fore thinking moment they purchased placement on the jerseys of a small soccer club no one has ever heard of. But, by doing this, they automatically get featured in the FIFA 20 game. Logo front and center chest.  Then, a social media challenge #TheStevenageChallenge came out and everyone wanted to play using the lower ranked team. Their jerseys sold out for the first time in the club’s history. Now they just need to work on winning some games IRL.

Afternoon Coffee Talk - What is interesting in Promo

It takes a lot to get me excited about a pen. I’ve been around them for a long time in every shape and size. I cannot get over this pen. Maybe it is the PSL talking but it is made from 30% recycled coffee grounds. It sounds kind of weird but also fascinating. With full color imprinting available this is a great idea for any project and I really hope it gains traction. 

While I haven’t personally gotten to try Batch and Bodega it has been taking my social media by storm creating a MAJOR sense of FOMO. These interesting pairings take small artisanal “makers” and pair things into really interesting gift kits. From the item to the packaging everything is clearly thought through and developed and this is going to be an AMAZING gift to the holiday season. It speaks to branded messaging with the insert of promo items but also feeds my #smallbusiness soul by supporting these artists all over the country. I can practically taste the tea and popcorn!  If you haven’t had a chance to check them out, you absolutely should! 

Looking for something PPE adjacent? Look no further than blue light filter glasses. From Fashion Snoops, research suggests blue light emitted by screens for a work day can be as bad as staring directly at the sun for 25 minutes. Retail is getting totally behind this. I know I purchased some for my new to e-learning kindergartener and all my prescription Zenni glasses have filters built in. This should be a no-brainer for any program. The ones made from Pop!Promo are completely customizable to really showcase any brand. Get the matte, you’ll thank me later!