The Prince of Pot, otherwise known as Marc Emery, has proven to be a royal pain for upholders of the Quebec Cannabis Regulation Act, taking to downtown Montreal on Sunday to hawk branded merchandise affiliated with the province’s marijuana culture. The problem—or, rather, the point—is that it’s now illegal to sell such goods in Canada…
Read MoreAuthor: Joseph Myers
The Story Behind Pantone 448 C, ‘the World’s Ugliest Color’
Back in 2012, the Australian federal government lobbied hard to change the description of Pantone 448 C from “olive green” to “drab dark brown” after the country’s olive association expressed concern that being tied to the color would damage olives’ reputation. That’s when it became obvious we had a forerunner for the title of “the…
Read MoreNathan Peterman, Arguably the NFL’s Worst Quarterback, Is Selling Branded Merch
Since throwing five interceptions in his Week 11 starting debut last year, Buffalo Bills quarterback Nathan Peterman has earned pariah status among the team’s fanbase and become the butt of many NFL jokes nationally. But that has not stopped him from realizing there is much more to life than hurling the pigskin (preferably to his…
Read MoreAmazon Is Mailing a Print Catalog—Are You?
Thanks to the business acumen of founder/chairman/CEO Jeff Bezos, Amazon, the Seattle-based behemoth, has enjoyed quite a 24-year existence and has not left many boxes to check off in its quest for complete commercial domination. The latest stroke of economic bravado comes in the form of the company’s first-ever print catalog for holiday toys, which…
Read MoreHow Some Brands Used Merch, Giveaways to Get People to Vote (Though It’s Not Really Legal)
Though ballot tabulations are still occurring in some races, the midterm election has largely passed us by, and we are able to begin to access whose policies will affect the public on local and national scales. While incumbent victors, upset orchestrators and political upstarts prepare for their terms, members of the voting public can look…
Read MoreThe Hottest Thing In Music Festival Merch Is This … Park Ranger Fedora?
This weekend’s Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival, a music festival founded by Tyler, the Creator and featuring Kanye West, will have some pretty sharp headwear available. But the hottest item of all might just be a park ranger fedora that’s already sold out in advance of the event…
Read MoreThe 76ers Partnered With an Xbox Game for a Weird But Fun Cross-Promotion
Thanks to last year’s 52-win season and second-round playoff appearance, the Philadelphia 76ers have begun to honor the commitment of fans who have chosen to “Trust the Process.” Pundits are predicting that the team will be a perennial title contender, making the Eastern Conference club a marketing match for numerous sponsors. Ahead of the Nov.…
Read MoreBranded NASA Merch Is Everywhere (But NASA Doesn’t Make Money From It)
As Vans and others have tried to skyrocket past the competition with branded NASA merch, they have done so at no financial cost to their bottom lines, as the space agency charges them nothing for the use of its logo, and makes no money of its own from the branded merchandise. If that generosity struck you as news, welcome to the club…
Read MoreAfter Success of NYPD Merch, London Police Turn to Promotional Products
Despite its cultural and historical clout, which last year led CNN Travel to dub it “the world’s greatest city,” London is not above admitting that it can be an impressionable city. Proof of that comes from the recent announcement by its Metropolitan Police Service that it will follow an example set mainly by the New York Police Department (NYPD) by selling branded promotional products…
Read MoreHopes for Glitzy Canadian Cannabis Packaging and Logos Go Up in Smoke
While marijuana merchants look to blaze past their competitors and aim for high esteem among their end-users, they must do so devoid of any standout packaging on their goods and are permitted to place only fairly mild logos on the products…
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