One of the best ways to enjoy sustained attention for your promotional merchandise campaign is to provide a clear, consistent message across all the items in your range. A great example of this in practice is the online swag range for US fast-food chain, IHOP (aka International House of Pancakes). By utilising consistent fonts, graphics, and colours across a variety of items, IHOP manages to produce a cohesive brand identity in which its fans can participate when they purchase from the restaurant's online store.

Marketing Merchandise With a Clear Message

It can be tempting to take on board a variety of different logo, slogan, or graphic designs for your merchandise ranges. However, based on our experience, success in the form of a recognised and sustained campaign comes from having a small range of thoughtfully curated items featuring clear, relevant messages.

IHOP's online shop is a great example of this method paying off, with the US pancake and fast food restaurant chain finding success with its pancake-focused swag store. The IHOP shop doesn't have a huge range of gear, but what it does have is useful and branded with consistent pancake slogans and imagery.

Choosing Promotional Products

If you are selling or giving away branded swag, you must select a range of items people will find useful. IHOP has done this perfectly with its range by featuring popular items such as:

• Logo Emblazoned T-Shirts
• Custom Branded Sweaters
• Eco-Friendly Tote Bags
• Promotional Socks
• Logo Decorated Drink Bottles
• Personalised Lapel Pins
• Logo Customised Caps

By choosing everyday items that people are likely to wear or take with them regularly, IHOP are setting themselves up for maximised brand exposure once their merchandise is purchased. While a lot of online retailers opt for these kinds of products, the fact of the matter is that they sell -- listen to consumers and stock products you know they'll be tempted to buy.

Making Your Decoration Count

IHOP's promotional products feature several different designs, but they all form a coherent brand image. How do they accomplish this?

• Products only available in 4-5 colours
• The same font is used across all designs
• The same IHOP logo is used across all designs
• Consistent use of "pancakes" as both a visual and written motif

When you look at merchandise in the online IHOP range, you never have any doubt that you are looking at an IHOP product. The use of consistent design elements such as colours and fonts helps show that individual products are part of a larger range while still looking appealing at a singular level.

Final Notes on Successful Branding

Make sure your merchandise fits in with any other marketing campaigns you are running, be that through messaging or motifs. If people can connect your advertising to your merchandise, this will further help to expand your community profile. If you're struggling to select products or need advice on the decoration process, contact the Cubic Promote team today.

We can recommend products, provide tailored pricing, and give branding advice based on our decades of industry experience. Launch your next campaign with the help of the Cubic team and you won't be disappointed.

Images and info found here: https://shoppancakewear.com/