why all brands should sell merch

​The Virgin Organic (the olive oil brand we're launching) is going to sell tees and a few other merch items.

Why?

We aren't trying to compete in the fashion / apparel industry or turn it into a huge revenue stream (at least not yet πŸ‘€) β€” we want to give our best customers a way to become ambassadors for the brand.

a short run of long sleeves with the v1 logo that we ultimately didn't move forward with

By offering shirts, it gives your fans a way to say "I support what these guys are doing" β€” beyond just buying the product.

It can create a closer relationship with your best customers.

It's like bands selling merch.

Metallica is not trying to become a leader in the apparel space ... they're giving fans a way to say "I like Metallica".

...or at least pretend that they like Metallica

Creating merch for your brand can be a really fun thing to do β€” regardless of what you're selling.

It can also be a good way of measuring the resonance of your mission.

Our goal is to start a movement bigger than the product itself.

If strangers are buying our olive oil hats and shirts, it means we're doing something right.

Here are a few examples that come to mind from brands in my world:

There are tons.

The weirder / more niche, the better.

Any others references come to mind? Send 'em my way!

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