The robot uprising is here. At least you’d think so if you were paying attention to the T-shirt designs that pop up on social media. That’s pretty much what happened to comedian Jesse McLaren, who posted a T-shirt that he designed himself. Shortly after, he started getting ads from other online shops selling that exact T-shirt…
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The Makers of Mega-Hit Video Game ‘Among Us’ Had to Scramble to Make a Merch Store After Fans Made Knockoffs
“Among Us” has become a cultural phenomenon, and people want to show off how much they love it. The problem was that InnerSloth, the game’s developer, didn’t have a functioning merchandise store. The page existed on its site, but there was nothing in the store. So, third-party sellers made their own merchandise, and InnerSloth never saw a dime from the sales…
Read MoreVaccine Verification, No Paper Tickets: What Ticketmaster’s Plan Tells Us About How Live Events Could Return
Thanks to promising news about a COVID-19 vaccine, there’s a glimmer of hope that live events like concerts, full-capacity sporting events and trade shows could return sometime soon. It’s still far too early to start penciling in live events for 2021, but Ticketmaster is planning ahead by creating a framework for what events could look like once a vaccine is rolled out…
Read MoreDunkin’s Holiday Merchandise Line Includes Customizable Items
What is it about breakfast chains that create such brand loyalty? Here in Pennsylvania, it’s Wawa versus Sheetz. Canadians love their Tim Hortons. Dunkin’s slogan might be about all of America, but Massachusetts natives know it’s really their chain. And they can finally show their “Dunkies” pride thanks to a new line of merchandise, some of which is even customizable…
Read MoreChicago Man Arrested Over $2.6M in Fraudulent PPE Sales to Hospitals
Dennis W. Haggerty, Jr., president of At Diagnostics Inc., was arrested on Tuesday for wire fraud after he and two business partners sold a combined one million N95 masks to two large university hospitals in Chicago and Iowa City…
Read MoreCloth Face Masks Might Soon Have Certification Labels (and It Could Be a Game Changer)
To help consumers identify the masks that work best, ASTM International, an organization that develops and implements technical standards, is working to set guidelines for how effective face masks should be and how they should be labeled. Companies like 3M, Honeywell and DuPont have been involved in the process. If it happens, the implications are huge…
Read MoreBudweiser’s Latest Branded Merch Is a Food Container With a Combination Lock for Thanksgiving Leftovers
The King of Beers is dubbing itself the King of Leftovers this year, thanks to a branded storage container that includes a combination lock so people can guard their leftovers like whatever was in that glowing briefcase in “Pulp Fiction.” Also, for the actual Turkey Day, Budweiser is releasing a branded turkey stand complete with a beer can…
Read MoreVF Corp Buys Supreme for $2.1 Billion, Opens Door to Future Licensing
VF Corp, the parent company of The North Face, Vans, Timberland, JanSport, Dickies and more, has purchased Supreme for more than $2.1 billion. This is interesting not just because it’s a huge acquisition, but also because of the branding implications…
Read MoreAfter Starting as a Joke, Tesla Tequila Is Really Here (and Already Sold Out)
At this point, Tesla is less a car company with amazing branded merchandise than it is an amazing merchandise company that happens to make cars. And Elon Musk is sort of an eccentric genius when it comes to marketing with branded merchandise. There have been surfboards, hats that raise absurd amounts of money, flamethrowers and plenty…
Read MoreHow Great Decoration Helps Promotional Products Businesses Stand Out From the Competition
RJ Hagel, manager of global marketing for Goldstar; Tom Davenport, co-founder of Ink Kitchen; and Mike Wilson, vice president of operations for Overture Promotions, joined our own Sean Norris for a panel discussion on how promo businesses can take their decoration capabilities to the next level, and how that can attract more business even when times are tough for customers…
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