Hi Merchies,

We lean into taste and risk-taking today, which extends to not only the companies sourcing merch, but the merch ones producing the merch. It is World Smile Day today after all. We want you to be happy about your merch, and how it gets made, after all.

Gaz & Kayla

See something once, it’s a chance. Twice, it’s a coincidence. Three times, is it a trend?

This week, Tzuyu (of k-pop girl group TWICE) announced she’s contributing the official theme song to the Williams F1 team’s collaboration with the anime DAN DA DAN.

Last week, Wendy’s released an EP of emo songs titled Songs to Listen to in a Wendy’s Parking Lot.

About a month ago, LG launched a limited time girl group, AI-DOL, to promote their AI-enabled washing machine via the song I wash, complete with choreography used in the ad.

By all accounts, all the songs are bangers?!

If you haven’t got the funds to make original music, curate some playlists! Bring back a customised mixtape. Send a QR code via mail to your sales prospects for ABM, everyone loves a playlist.

I am very apprehensive to say use AI tools like Suno to make a song. I think it’s funny for a social media post where you’re messing around as an individual. I think it’s very not funny coming from a brand.

I love a brand that loves a good stunt activation. Something to capture the attention, something to get the people revved up, something that builds the FOMO, something that signifies risk-taking and personal engagement with current and prospective customers and true fans.

I found myself in The Commons Cremorne (near Melbourne CBD) recently, and the crew from Print Room had initiated a pop-up in the common area with a simple setup of heatpress + blank staples + various designs + pizza (I’m told there was pizza, it disappeared: gluten intolerance is a myth)

This pop-up went for like 5 hours, the line stayed solid the whole time, and people loved the pick-and-choose aspects of some solid designs - some whimsical, some serious, lots immediately slipped on to wear for the rest of their day and onwards.

Very nice, very cool, and really demystified the process for a lot who were there for some free stuff that wasn’t pizza, so that if they had merch in mind, they had a face to put to how this gets done, and an appreciation of some of the craft that goes into it (and this was a lower lift for Print Room to be able to spend less time on the design front, though a pop-up of this nature still takes serious planning)

Over and above that though, it’s a bolder execution than I would see most brands locally attempt - Print Room have expanded from Dunedin, New Zealand to also set up shop in Melbourne, Australia, and I’ve got to admire the effort of making some bold plays on the brand-building front. Lots of happy people in the process, and a seed has been planted in the process.

(FYI - this is not a paid endorsement, I just really enjoyed seeing it come to be. I asked Jon Thom who heads up the Melbourne side of Ops for photos, and he sent a bunch through, as well as naming James at Brand & Design Agency Something Great and Blair at Creative Studio Fresco Secco for their help in making this UNCOMMON KIOSK stunt so. Photos by Chip Mooney too. A future Sydney one too perhaps, hmmm? Find Print Room HERE)

This one’s aimed at the merch companies themselves! It’s merch. It’s tactile. It necessitates people touching it and seeing the process somewhat, so find a way to work this type of stunt into something else working. I’ve run hundreds of tech & startup events in my time, not once has a merch company latched on and asked “if we set a heat press up and printed something on-brand with the audience as giveaways, would you be cool with that?”

Spoiler: Of Course I’d Be Cool With That