Marketers put their commercials on billboards, buses and cars, so why wouldn’t they put it on our clothes and turn us into walking ads that convey their brand’s message? Many companies use clothing items for their promotion and I’m not only talking about low-quality and ugly T-shirts and baseball hats, but also about well-designed clothing items and accessories that would earn praises from the strictest fashion critics and the fanciest bloggers.

How can you promote your brand through fashion?

If we look at the random sample of promotional clothing items, we’ll realize that most companies don’t invest too much money in its design. Of course, you won’t hire Valentino or Marc Jacobs to design your company’s promotional T-shirts, but entrepreneurs should definitely invest a little bit more money and effort into this type of advertising.

Your customers will always accept a free gift. Even if it’s a T-shirt with an ugly logo and colors that don’t match. Most people wear promotional clothing at home. This fact drastically devolves the ROI of ‘fashion-marketing campaigns’. That’s why companies need to focus on creating clothing items that are ‘worth the hanger’ in their customer’s’ wardrobe. If you replace ugly T-shirts with stylish fashion items, your customers will wear them on various occasions and promote your brand wherever they go.

One of the best ways to incorporate promotional clothing items in your marketing campaign is to turn them into regular products and add them to your company’s offer. Many different companies sell their own apparel. Apple is one of them. The company recently put their staff  T-shirts on sale and they’ve already has a cult following among diehard Apple fans.

Why would someone turn a restaurant into a fashion store?

Maybe Apple is not the best example for the effective use of fashion in marketing. This company is simply too popular. Even if they’d released a khaki-blue Apple underpants, they’d sell the whole batch in less than an hour. So, let’s find some other examples.

Hooters is a well-known restaurant franchise, which employs attractive young women as waiting staff. They say that “Sex appeal is legal and it sells”. Hooters waiters wear revealing T-shirts and shorts, which after some time became a brand itself. Hooters ‘work uniforms’ became so popular that the company developed a separate brand that promotes Hooters apparel. They sell it in restaurants and on the company’s website. Their collection includes T-shirts, sweaters, baseball hats and other pieces of clothing that are easy to make and design.

Hard Rock Cafe is another popular theme restaurant, which have developed its own chic apparel. They popularized their venues by hanging rock and roll memorabilia on their walls and in time, Hard Rock T-shirts became one of the most recognizable clothing items among the rebellious youth. Both of these companies are earning significant funds from clothing sales, but they also use their apparel to promote their business far and wide. Think about it, there are thousands, or even millions of people around the world who work as brand advocates of these two restaurant chains by doing branded catwalks on their city’s streets.

Promotional accessories

Do you know that the first promotional item was a leather school bag produced by a shoe factory in Coshocton, Ohio? In recent years, printed non-woven bags have been also used as a very affordable and effective promotional product. Basically, any type of branded fashion accessory can be used for this purpose. This includes: handbags, umbrellas, wallets, scarfs, watches and hats. You can sell them as your own products or give them out to the most loyal customers on various promotional events. Sometimes fashion accessories are even better than clothing, because designers have much more liberty to express the true nature of your brand through lively colors and various practical features.

Good-quality clothing is one of the best marketing tools. Although it doesn’t have the mass appeal of social media or TV commercials, it’s definitely one of the most personal ways to spread your brand’s message. Many marketers agree that word-to-mouth marketing is one of the most effective techniques for attracting new customers. Wearing promotional clothing gives a new dimension to this form of marketing. Customers who wear promotional items stand behind their favorite brand and are not scared or ashamed to show that to the world. That’s why even the companies that don’t have anything to do with fashion should try to develop their own apparel.

Author:

My name is Alex Williams. I am a journalism graduate, and a rookie blogger trying to find my luck. Blogs are the perfect opportunity for presenting yourself to wider audience, getting the chance to showcase my expertise and receiving recognition. I am a regular contributor at Bizz.

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