What’s Better Than Free Advertising?

I remember reading once that one of the reasons that rock bands tour a lot is that they make so much money from the sales of their branded merchandise.

In one way, it makes sense.

The money from all those t-shirts people buy at concerts must add up quickly—especially at the prices they charge for them!

In another way, it may not seem to make sense at all.

People are literally paying money to be a walking advertisement for someone else.

Why would anybody do this? 

I mean why would they pay money to do something other people get paid for?

Is something nefarious going on here?

Some people, for example, think that evil corporations figured out how to trick people into advertising for them, and paying for the privilege of doing so to boot.

But this is wrong.

In fact, the exact opposite is true.

Something interesting and profitable was discovered.

Companies found out that people really, really want to let others know about the things that they love.

I mean, we do, right?

We want to share the music and bands that we love with the people around us—we want them to know about our favorite vacation spot, our favorite sports team, our favorite beverage.

Our clothing is an expression of what we love, who we support, what teams we’re on, who we are.

So, it’s natural that we want to advertise for the businesses and bands, the places and people, that we love—either with a t-shirt, a hat, or whatever.

What’s baffling is that it took so long for some businesses to catch on.

As far as that goes, has yours caught on yet?

It matters, or at least can, because branded merchandise is a big deal—and not just for rock bands.

Almost half of Ferrari’s revenue, for example, comes from people buying hats, shirts, model cars, and so on with their logo on it.

You read that right: almost half!

Given that, you might be wondering…

How can your business get people to pay to advertise for it?

The answer to that is simple, but not easy. 

And, in part, it’s the same answer we gave to the question of how to get more word-of-mouth referrals.

• First, your company has to deserve it. It has to offer a product or service so good, so remarkable, that people want to tell their friends and family, even strangers, all about it

• Second, your company has to have a great logo, one that fits with the brand—that is simple, memorable, unique. Think here of something like the Rolling Stones logo, or, since it was mentioned earlier, the logo for Ferrari.

When your company does these things, everything is set up for it to become increasingly successful over time.

And, while we can’t help you provide the core product or service that you offer, we in large part exist to help you with the second.

So, if you are looking for a logo that captures what your company does and looks good enough to wear, you know what to do, right? 

Just contact us here.