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Merchandise that takes off on social media, gathers queues at stands, and becomes the subject of hunting at conferences is not an accident, but a strategy. Natalia, Head of PR at ClickDealer, knows this from the inside: their projects don’t just decorate shelves, but actually “live” in the hands of partners, get into stories and build brand loyalty.
We talked to her about how to create merchandise that “shoots” and raises the value of the company in the eyes of partners. From the search for ideas and fakaps to bold trend solutions and advice for beginners, this material is for those who want branded items to work as well as the advertising budget.
Back in 2016, I joined ClickDealer and was fully engaged in merchandising, preparing for conferences, and everything else. Back then, there was no such thing as a “merch cult” and we mostly created notebooks, pens, and caps, so the culture of various merchandise developed gradually, we wanted to stand out, something new, interesting, and most importantly, useful!
So, that’s how the main goal appeared: your merchandise should be constantly in sight, so that it is used and wanted!
In general, there are several scenarios for generating ideas and putting them into action:
Oh!!! Well, of course, shit happens)) Sometimes we ordered merchandise abroad so that the team didn’t have to bring everything to the conference and couldn’t “feel” it in advance. As a result, we received quality that did not meet expectations at all.
If I recall something specific, sneakers immediately come to mind. It was back in 2019: we decided to make custom New Balance shoes for the team. At that time, I had never seen anyone do this from scratch (I had only seen options when they bought white Nikes and painted them with special paints).
So, we ordered these sneakers in Spain: we chose the colors, placed the logo, even gave the dimensions in centimeters for each. And what was the result? They arrived not at all the right size, and wearing them… well, to be honest, was not very comfortable. For a short walk or a photo shoot, they were fine, but it was unrealistic to spend the whole day at the conference in them.
First of all, it’s the team’s feedback! How much merch was left after the conference? What did the partners say? Did anyone else have a similar one? And most importantly! How many people fought over the last copy? ))))
And the effect is also clearly visible through UGC content, what we see on social media and in the messages we receive there. For example, our suitcases: we constantly notice them in the stories of our partners when they go on trips. And yes, we get regular messages: “What do I have to do to get a suitcase?”, “Sell the suitcase!”, “Sir, please give me one)))” and similar messages.
Well, I don’t have anything off the top of my head. Except for all those “smoking rooms” 🙂 Because, as you know, most of the acquaintances and the hottest discussions take place near smoking areas and hookahs.
Of course, we are for a healthy lifestyle, and we even branded exercise equipment and weights as part of our loyalty program! And now I see a trend for sports merchandise, so we will probably brand paddle tennis rackets for our favorite partners next.
I would consider merchandise dedicated to movies, politics, or events to be risky, because there is a chance that you will “get it” and someone will simply not understand the humor or have not even watched the movie. For example, in 2021, when The Squid Game was released, we made cookies in a box from the series, but adapted to our brand. And a click was baked in the middle))
It worked!
I love memes! Yes, of course! We generally have a businesslike tone of voice, but we all know the “pains” of our industry, and it’s much easier to work when you treat everything with humor.
And here are examples of T-shirts with reflective prints, where we humorously described what an arbitrator “consists of” and played with words in the famous phrase
First, you need to study your target audience very carefully. Does your partner sit at a computer all day? What can you do to make his work comfortable? It can be anything from little things like sticky notes, camera pads, to custom laptop stands, or even things that people turn in their hands when they concentrate. I don’t like stressful things, but we used to make fidget cubes and spinners with our logo on them
Or think about how often your partner travels? These can be adapters for sockets in different countries, suitcase covers, travel wallets for documents, etc.
Consider the countries and mentality of your partners! It’s very important.
Yes, I see a tendency that merchandise is a “cult” in the Ukrainian market. People hunt for it at conferences, post unboxings on social media, and companies show off and compete to be the best. I understand! I adore quality merch myself.
But in the US, for example, everything is more standard and conservative! With China, it’s even harder, their tastes may seem strange to our audience. For example, here are some Chinese gifts
If you are doing something expensive and trendy, don’t think that you can cheat and brand a fake and no one will notice! It will greatly reduce the cost of your brand!
For example, when there was a boom in BearBricks, even the smallest copy cost a little over a hundred bucks. Then you had to find an artist who knew how to work with them, because to paint them you need special paints, completely disassemble them, paint each part separately, dry them, and reassemble them. It was very painstaking work.
I’ll tell you about our suitcase that stirred up social media!
I have to say, this merch is entirely the merit of our event manager! We always prepare custom gifts for our partners for the New Year, so in the summer we start looking for options to launch production in the fall and have time to send them before the holidays.
That year, we were looking for something that would suit not only solo arbitrators but also entire teams: options for leisure, team building in the office and with friends, comfortable work, and, of course, travel.
When we decided on a suitcase, we decided to make it in Poland. We studied the manufacturers, read reviews, chose Kitchen, and then started collecting the quantity we needed from stock. At the same time, our designers played with the design, chose one out of several styles and options, and handed over the layouts and products for application to the branding company.
Here, of course, we had to take into account the margin of error for unsuccessful attempts or the type of application: the surface was uneven, the corners were beveled, and we had to “get the hang of it”. But voila, the suitcase was ready, and the partners were happy! And we didn’t stop there: for a comfortable trip, we added a few bags and cosmetic bags with the logo inside, as well as a postcard to emphasize the festive moment.
Merch is merch! Both brand image and community. Our community of partners in the loyalty program chooses merchandise and branded items more often than anything else. We, in turn, try to make our merchandise stylish, functional and useful, not just a logo on the back. Our brand is modern, we have completely different people in our team and in the list of partners in terms of mentality and age, and we always try to meet their interests and needs.
This is a high-quality stylish and fully custom product that will really come in handy in life, and will not lie on a shelf or even stay in the hotel after the conf)