Breakthrough singers Doja Cat and Olivia Rodrigo have both been struggling with the bad press lately, but it isn't related to their actions or songs, it is instead down to some really shoddy merchandise being supplied to fans around the world. If pop superstars can't get their merchandise to look the part, do the rest of us stand a chance?

Yes, if you follow our guide to ensure your promotional products look as amazing as they should!

Have Basic Branding Guidelines

When you engage a promotional item supplier such as Cubic Promote, it can help to have basic brand guidelines in place to share with your account manager. When we say "branding guidelines" we mean important things consistent across your brand such as colour codes (to make sure your colour is always approximately the same), font lists (you never have to worry about the font looking wrong) and of course a logo design relatively ready to go.

If you don't have these things organised already then that's OK, you can work with your promo product supplier to organise them in conjunction with their graphics team -- that way you'll have them for future orders too!

Don't Be Afraid to Ask for Samples

Olivia Rodrigo's fans were disappointed by t-shirts that were the wrong shade of purple or didn't have the correct sleeve length (short instead of long). One way to potentially avoid these problems in your own merchandise ordering experience is to request product samples before proceeding to production.

Yes, it might just be a plain white t-shirt that looks fine on the monitor but if you're ordering 10,000 of them it doesn't hurt to check out either an unbranded or pre-production (at cost) sample to ensure they look exactly how you imagine. Here at Cubic Promote our customer care team is happy to organise free samples for low-cost items and discounted samples for more costly items/items with customisation.

Check Your Artwork Proofs Carefully

Sometimes it isn't the products themselves that can cause trouble. Olivia Rodrigo also had trouble with items that featured incorrect spelling and other positioning errors. While there's no way to guarantee 100% that errors can't take place, it helps if both the supplier and client look over the artwork proofs carefully to ensure there are no minor errors.

We're all time-poor, but that extra glance at an artwork proof may be the difference between "SOUR" and "SUOR". Definitely worth it in our opinion!

Work With a Reliable Local Business

There are a lot of places overseas offering promotional t-shirts, notebooks, customised pens, and everything in between. Money can be tight so we know they're tempting, but when you engage with a local Australian business you often minimise your chances for disappointment.

This comes down to transparency, accessibility, and good customer service. Whether you use Cubic Promote or not (we'd love it if you did!) you need to be sure the business your are using for your promotional items is:

1. Easy to contact (they answer the phone/reply quickly to emails)
2. Is open with you about costs (including any setups/delivery fees)
3. Is happy to explain anything you don't understand (like branding lingo or positioning requirements).
4. Able to source high-quality, reliable merchandise that they can brand locally using local staff.

Not only is local branding better for the Australian economy and helps to keep jobs in the country, it also means if there's any requirement for extra merchandise/additional customisation it can be performed quickly and easily, no long transport times from overseas.

If you'd like to know more about getting promotional gifts that fit your brief then give the friendly Cubic Promote customer service team a call today for more info!

Images and info from here: https://twitter.com/lanaisahottie/status/1422373648908886017