Blog

Cute Merch? Will Buy!

What is the difference between a t-shirt that gets tossed into a closet and one that gets worn on repeat?

Good design. Great merch isn’t just something you wear—it’s something you want to wear. The best pieces don’t slap a logo on a shirt; they tap into a vibe, a community, a feeling. When employees and customers sport your brand, it stops being just merch and starts becoming part of their identity.

Cute merch sells. If it’s something people actually want to wear, they will, on and off the clock. The right designs turn employees into walking brand ambassadors and customers into fans who genuinely love wearing your brand like it’s their favorite band tee.

At Oswald, we take that seriously. Our creative team thrives on designing wearable that our clients genuinely love to style into their everyday looks. And our promotions team? They’re experts at sourcing the coolest, most unexpected items to put those designs on. Our job is to make sure your brand stands out – both strategically and organically.

So, next time you’re placing an order with our promo team, keep these in mind:

😎 Your company is your story. Make merch that tells it visually. A killer design isn’t just a logo on a tee—it’s a statement that connects people to your brand.

Take a look at the merch you buy, and why you buy it? If you or your brand has a distinct style – lean into it. If you don’t know what that is, then now is a great time to define it! You don’t have to be wild or crazy, but you do have to be authentic. Your merch will show that and your team will want to wear it too.

😎 Your team is your strongest marketing asset. Give them merch they love, and they’ll rep your brand effortlessly, everywhere they go.

If your merch is really good, their friends and family will want some too. That’s exponentially increasing your brand exposure. So when you are thinking about your marketing budget, carve out a portion of good merchandise.

This is also a great way to encentivize or recognize your staff members. At Oswald we freely give out and encourage merchandise ideas. Granted, we have an in-house embroidery and heat press shop so it’s pretty easy to come up with fun designs. But those designs turn into great merch that our team wears again and again. New hires get in on the action too and it immediately allows them to feel part of the team and proud to rep Oswald.

😎 Cool designs get worn—constantly. The more people wear it, the more your brand is seen, remembered, and talked about. Simple as that.

If you want the data, then according to ApparelInBags.com, the average tshirt gets 3,400 impressions in it’s lifetime and are normally kept for a minimum of 14 months.

That means for every item of merch you highlight with your brand will give you thousands of impressions. So no matter how many employees you have, you are getting thousands of impressions every time you have them wear your merchandise!