Wear It and Make a Statement.

You are what you wear. There, we said it. Your clothes are an inherently personal form of self-expression that have the power to show the world who you are or who you want to be, what you believe, and what matters to you. That’s why a t-shirt is never just a t-shirt. It’s a way to make a statement. A hat with an embroidered logo isn’t just another beanie, it’s a way to bring people together and make them feel a part of something bigger.

How we choose to dress our bodies says a lot about us. So when a customer makes the conscious choice to wrap themselves in your branded apparel, it’s one of the most powerful endorsements you can receive. Look at the stats:

  • 58% of consumers across all age groups own promotional shirts
  • 41% own promotional hats

*Both deliver a minimum of six months of brand exposure.1

There’s no doubt, dressing your brand fans in apparel and gear is a great way to raise brand awareness and (with a catchy design) stand out from everyone else in a competitive market. But branded clothing is also a smart way to help bring your team together and keep employees motivated.

Take the team over at Midwest Express, a subsidiary of Honda Logistics North America and a world-class logistics and consolidation center. When MEI came to Bolder & Co., they were facing a variety of challenges. Recruitment was sluggish. Employee retention was falling and overall, morale was lackluster. As one of our marketing recommendations, we put forth branded t-shirts, because we know the power a t-shirt holds in being able to bring out pride in a group of people. As we say over here at Bolder, Change your identity, change your behavior.

In honor of their 30th Anniversary we created branded t-shirts. We didn’t just want to slap a logo on the front and call it a day, we wanted something special to show the quality work and effort put forth by employees had not gone unnoticed. So, in addition to putting the Midwest logo on the front of the shirt, we also added the phrase “Logistically speaking after 30 years, we can handle anything.” The message essentially gave the team a pat on the back from management. As expected, the t-shirts worked to boost morale. Employees wore the shirts five days a week to work and 75% of them are still wearing the shirts five years later (yeah, we’re working on getting them some new designs!). The shirts were seen as a badge of honor and a sign of belonging and were worn with pride by the whole team.

Whether you need to strengthen your company culture or want a unique way for your brand to stand out from the competition—essentially as a free walking billboard—branded apparel is the answer. Logo front left, sure, but why not up the game and show the world your rallying battle cry by printing a pithy message or your tagline or mission on the back featuring a design custom-made for your brand (our team of designers can help with that too).

Share who you are with the world and others will want to be a part of it.

1https://media.asicentral.com/resources/impressions-study-2016.pdf