Digital advertising can reach the right audience in seconds, but it can disappear just as quickly. Branded merchandise works differently — it enters people’s everyday lives.
A T-shirt is worn. A hoodie becomes a favourite. A tote bag travels from the commute to the supermarket and beyond. Each use creates another brand interaction, not as an interruption, but as part of everyday life.
Now think about a great branded hoodie, T-shirt or bag.
Researchers at Vienna University of Economics and Business have called this effect ‘silent persuasion’. In controlled experiments, people responded more positively to an unfamiliar brand after casually using its promotional merchandise, even when they had not consciously noticed the logo. Equivalent visual exposure to a poster was less effective.
“Consumers react more positively to an unfamiliar brand after incidentally using its merchandise.”
Source: Silent Persuasion: Incidental use of promotional merchandise benefits unfamiliar brands. International Journal of Advertising.
That gives us a different way to think about apparel as advertising. The product does not simply carry the message — it becomes part of it.
The feel of a fabric, the fit of a sweatshirt, the usefulness of a tote bag and the quality of the decoration all shape the impression a brand leaves behind. A product that feels considered can make the brand feel considered too. One that is uncomfortable, impractical or quickly discarded tells a very different story.
So the aim should not be just to create merchandise that lasts, but to create merchandise that stays in use. That means looking beyond the logo.
Who will receive it? Where will they wear or use it? Would a heavyweight oversized T-shirt suit the audience better than a classic style? Could a premium hoodie build a sense of belonging? Would a tote bag travel further if it’s not only intended for one event?
It’s not about replacing digital or conventional advertising. Recent research suggests that promotional products can make the wider media mix more effective, strengthening advertising rather than competing with it. Merchandise adds something other channels cannot: a physical brand experience that continues after the event or campaign interaction has ended.
Source: Improving the media mix: how promotional products enhance advertising impact. Journal of Marketing Communications, 2023.
At Falk&Ross you can find a curated collection of apparel, bags and accessories to match the needs of every kind of merchandise project — from music merch to brand promotions, corporate sponsorships, retail and more.
Because the best branded merchandise is not only seen. It is experienced, kept and chosen again.