Silicon Valley Bank swag makes it to the spotlight

Good morning!

PromoPepper's journey continues with this awesome, shiny new Newsletter #004! Thank you all for subscribing and keeping up with all things promo and branded merch. We'd love to hear your thoughts. Please reply back with any questions or comments!

Today’s newsletter rundown:  
Merch around the Internet
Deep Dive: Kitschy Merch
No One OutPizzas The Hut
Interview with Everest from Stitchi
Promo Job Postings

RELEVANT: Silicon Valley Bank sees run on merch via eBay
Since the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank last week, merchandise and items from the company have been posted on eBay, including wine tumblers, coffee mugs, shirts, hats, and even a dented cardboard box.

Spotify makes it easier for artists to sell merch via its app
The streaming service is adding new concert and merch discovery tools, and users will start to see merch offers and concert listings in far more places across the app.

Aldi gears up for a mega-merch drop for its biggest fans
Fans of the discount grocer can flaunt their Aldi love with a new, limited-edition merchandise collection of bags, bucket hats, tracksuits, and more that drops on March 22.

Amazon Merch on Demand Launches New Collegiate Collection
Amazon’s print-on-demand service allows customers to buy hoodies, sweatshirts, long- and short-sleeved t-shirts, and tanks from their favorite schools via Amazon’s Fanshop.

Ted Lasso: Official Season Three Merch
Ahead of the third season, the Emmy-winning Apple TV+ comedy has released a new line of apparel, accessories, and more goods inspired by the Ted Lasso Way.

Over $30M worth of Funkos are being dumped
The maker of the Funko Pop! collectibles plans to toss millions of dollars' worth of its inventory, after realizing it has more of its pop culture figurines than it can afford to hold on to.

Editor’s Note: Favorite article I read last week was ‘We always aim to get people talking’: Kitschy merch continues to drive buzz for food brands’ which featured the Panera BAGuette (shown below). Highly recommended reading.

I love creative merch. I also love food. When you combine the two, you certainly have my attention.

The article discusses the use of whimsical merchandise by food brands and how it becomes a means to generate interest. Collaborations between companies are becoming increasingly frequent, particularly to market new product releases.

One example I loved was the partnership between Fruit of the Loom and Milk Bar. When a legacy brand (Fruit of the Loom) can utilize the audience of a more modern brand (Milk Bar), it can become “cooler.” In the case of Milk Bar, it gives them more authority. If Fruit of the Loom would partner with them, they have to be pretty important, right?

Read the full article here

Editor’s Note: This week, I interviewed Everest Guerra, founder of Stitchi — an all-in-one merch solution that helps companies diversify revenue and increase brand affinity. I hope you enjoy it!

If you'd like to be interviewed for a future Promopepper, let us know and we'll get you on the schedule.

What is Stitchi?
Stitchi provides end-to-end merch solutions for brands. This includes merch production, storage, and distribution (3PL). We integrate directly with eCommerce platforms and greatly reduce the cost of running a sophisticated merch program.

What’s the most exciting project you’ve worked on at Stitchi?
One of the most exciting projects we've worked on was automating how Morning Brew fulfills rewards for its novel referral program. We lowered the cost of operating their referral program by an estimated 65% by reducing their production costs and automating fulfillment.

What do you love about the promo industry?
What we love about the promo industry is the ability to create tangible, physical products that people can touch and interact with. There's something special about being able to hold a product in your hand and feel the quality and craftsmanship that went into creating it.

How do you think the promo industry evolves over the next 5 years?
We believe that the promo industry will continue to evolve and adapt to new technologies and trends. We expect to see more emphasis on sustainable and eco-friendly products, as well as a greater focus on personalization and customization.

How has technology impacted your business?
Technology has had a huge impact on our business, allowing us to streamline our processes and provide a better experience for our customers. Our website makes it easy for customers to browse and purchase products, and our automated production and fulfillment processes ensure that orders are processed quickly and accurately.

How do people find you / what sales channels are most effective for you?
People primarily find out about us from referrals or through our website. Additionally, we experiment with other sales channels to try and stay ahead of the curve. We are particularly excited about in-person pop-ups and video-based marketing content.

Click on each link to see the application/job description page:

• Promotional Product Administrator @ jmfieldmarketing.com

• Supply Chain Director @ Koozie Group

• Product Manager @ Clegg Promo

• Account Manager @ iPromo

• Merchandising Manager @ Pinnacle Promotions

• Marketing Manager @ CreativeMC

• Sales Director @ Keeper Promo

We have so much more to say but we're saving some for next time. Reply back with your comments and/or questions and we’ll utilize them for the next issue!

Have a great rest of your week,

J.