WHY IS MERCHANDISE SO CRITICAL IN BRANDING?
This question has been asked of me countless times. A brand is only successful, if it extends beyond your walls. In the past, advertising specialty companies sold pens, paperweights and cups printed with your company’s name and slogan. Those ‘leave behinds’ were almost as important as your brochure, because your name stayed on their radar, at least as long as they used those products. Today, business is far more competitive and therefore, far more complex. Merchandise is no longer a giveaway, it needs to be a source of profit and influence. And how do you accomplish that? You hire an expert … ME!
WHO uses your service or purchases your products, and why? WHICH products catch their attention, and why? WHEN do they buy, and why? WHERE are these consumers located, and why are they purchasing from you? WHY are they using your service or purchasing your products versus your strongest competitor? These are detailed questions every business owner needs to know in great detail. Understand your sphere of influence, then fully monetize it!
MERCHANDISE COMES IN ALL FORMS
I’ve been very fortunate to design all kinds of merchandise. Among these is signage. I’ve been riding and/or racing motorcycles since I was 8 years old. I worked for my uncle for years, who was the best Harley mechanic for hundreds of miles around, so this brand and this signage project really hit home. The window sign is beveled silver on a plex base, which can only be appreciated in the detailed picture below. My attention to detail definitely fits Harley Davidson … one of the greatest brands on earth.
BOOKS, EBOOKS, MAGAZINES AND ASSOCIATED MERCHANDISING
When I started in this business in 1974, computers weren’t sophisticated enough to do graphics. Typesetting was a major production, so people like me had to spec out every detail to the typesetter, including character count, type size, rag, kerning, leading, paragraph indents, etc. I created headlines by hand. Ads, brochures and flyers were fairly easy in comparison to large magazines and books. My first book was a massive training manuel for AT&T that had to be completed during the breakup of the ‘Baby Bells’. It was an instructional for what became the internet. This 300+ page book took me 6 months to complete.
I landed those type of historic projects because of my unlimited energy and drive. Today, nothing fills me with more passion than designing book covers. I have incredible patience, but these great souls who write books, must have the patience of a God. ‘Water Oaks Revelation’ took Larry Shaffer 9 years to research and write. I admire that more than I can say, so designing his book cover became a labor of love, and he became one of my best friends ever. I pray that millions take notice of this amazing book.
WHAT DOES BRANDING AND MERCHANDISE LOOK LIKE FOR THE BEST YACHT BUILDER IN THE WORLD?
I love this type of challenge. What motivates the global elite to choose one builder over another, when it comes to the ultimate play toy? In every case, it comes down to details. Headquartered in Ft. Lauderdale Florida, Westport Yachts builds their superior watercraft in the Pacific Northwest of America. No one in the world is better at building floating works of art.
NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, ABL, IRHL, OLYMPIC AND COLLEGE BRANDING / MERCHANDISING
Back in the day, before the shoe companies took over the sports industry, there were 2 American giants. Russell Athletic had the entire MLB, countless small colleges and almost 10,000 high schools. Their President/CEO was my dear friend and manufacturing mentor, Barney Wachtel. Champion had the entire NFL, NBA and 90+ major colleges. Each of these companies had a significant impact on my career. With Champion, I worked with their colleges, first doing bookstore merchandise before I turned to uniform programs for colleges, NFL and NBA. I designed for all of their pro teams, but only did uniforms and merchandise branding for 8 NFL and 10 NBA teams. Special thanks to Scott Bondi, the best apparel guy I ever worked with. A few favorites are shown below.
I was recruited by Reebok to be primary creative for their newly formed Licensed Apparel Division. There we signed 56 major colleges, The Harlem Globetrotters, then the entire NFL, NBA and ABL. By 2001, I had been primary creative for 147 colleges. That doesn’t sound like a lot, until you do the actual math. Each college that has sports, typically has 16 sports for men and 16 for women. That’s more than 4700 uniforms alone. Then add in the countless numbers of practicewear and sideline gear (hats, jackets, polo shirts, etc), much less the special event programs with associated merchandise. I’m not showing examples on this site, simply because the numbers are overwhelming and I don’t know how to pick my favorites. I must state my undying gratitude for the great coaches who helped me: Lou Holtz, John Wooden, Tom Izzo, Nick Saban, Mike Brey to mention a few.
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