The Backpack: Issue #21

Hey, friends! Welcome to our newly revised (monthly) newsletter, “The Backpack” bringing monthly news that features trends in merch, top articles, podcast episodes, and global news impacting merch life. Miss an article or an episode? We’ll highlight the best of, right here, each month!

skucamp Austin Kicks Up Its Heels

“Best skucamp… ever.” Words from an OG skucamper who was one of over 150 people who descended on Austin, TX to help keep skucamp weird! From mind-bending improv to hyper-listening ninja skills and maybe even some after-hours karaoke baked into a bar-b-que or two, here’s a glimpse at what you missed and also a look at the rad skucamp merch collection we dropped in collaboration with our amazing supplier partners. Miss out on the action? No worries. skucon is right around the corner…

The skucon Multiverse (Behind the Branding!)

Our very own Lucia Kim is the superhero behind the commonsku brand: designer, strategist, and front-end developer, she’s a genius at taking a conceptual idea and translating it into the commonsku universe. Example? Spiderman’s Multiverse is one of the most eclectic animation styles to come out of Hollywood, earning best-animated feature awards and stunning respect from the animation community. Learn how Spiderman and skubot became the superhero duo you didn’t know you needed, peek behind the mask branding, here!

Does Your Team Need a Therapist? Coach? Or Both?

Brett Boake is the General Manager at Score Promotions, a team (and commonsku customer) of over 50 dedicated promo professionals in the US and Canada. Brett is one of the industry’s most inspirational sales leaders, which is why it’s no surprise that this year, Brett and the leadership team at Score Promotions, hired an in-house Performance Coach & Therapist, Yonah Budd. Check out our chat with Yonah and Brett about how they made both employee wellness and employee performance a priority!

How to Lead a 2 Billion+ Sales Team

What is the most important factor in running a sales organization that produces over $2 billion in annual revenue? That’s what we chat with Steve Cuthbert about! Steve is the Chief Revenue Officer at SanMar and has over 25 years of experience in the outdoor textile industry. Prior to joining SanMar, he was the VP of Sales for North Face. Listen as we talk with Steve about sales leadership, technology, and SanMar’s recognition by the Wall Street Journal as one of 2022’s best-managed companies alongside legendary companies like Apple and Microsoft!

Tim Horton’s Always Fresh Merch

Tim Horton’s is such a vibe that the ubiquitous coffee chain is outdoing even Dunkin’ with their new merch shop, Tim Shop. How big a brand leap is this by Horton’s? Well, if you’re in the U.S., just think if Denny’s suddenly dropped a rad merch collection that you actually wanted to wear. Oct 1st is International Coffee Day (but, TBH, it’s Int’l Coffee Day every day here at Backpack HQ), so expect the brand to drop some major heat on top of an already cool collection in a few weeks. Merch lessons for the pros? Check out the colorways and the groovy way they’ve styled their merch, plus how they’ve categorized their apparel (like the “Always Fun” collection). I’m not even a fan, but I find myself fawning over this damn jogger and t-shirt set. Now, off to my daily celebration of Int’l Coffee Day with my second double double!

My Muy Bonito Guayabera is a Def VIBE

The once-a-decade U.S. Census just dropped and revealed that the Hispanic population in the U.S. rose to 63 million, around 20% of the population, and now, Hispanics officially make up the biggest share of the population in Texas! It’s National Hispanic Heritage Month from Sep 15-Oct 15, And there’s no one better than Tejas-based Whataburger to show us how to celebrate such a moment with merch. Not only did they release an amazing Hispanic Heritage collection on their shop, but they crafted a custom guayabera! (BTW: Here's what Texans thought of it). But it’s not just Whataburger celebrating Hispanic and Latino heritage, Starbucks is honoring Latin American culture with a beautiful collection crafted with designer Manuela Guillén. Muy bonito merch!

Vogues Voguest Collection

The Anna Wintour-designed merch collection drops just in time for Vogue World: London, and it’s a masterclass in simplicity. The limited-run drop is “imagined in classic black, white, and grey, these memorabilia-worthy pieces were designed especially for cast, crew, and creative directors to wear during Vogue World: London dress rehearsals, and feature slogans that speak to a night at the theatre – from ‘Quiet Please: the Show is About To Begin,’ to ‘Performance in Progress.’ Even the bucket hats and ceramic coffee cups are Anna Wintour and Edward Enninful-approved,” meaning that the bucket hat and coffee cup are both signature pieces that reflect each editor’s personality. It’s a cool way to celebrate the most iconic leaders in fashion, but also, for all merch pros, note this: The world’s most revered fashion editors are using merch as a cornerstone of their announcement. Friends, Vogue is using merch to call attention to their fashion brand. I think it's safe to say, merch has arrived.

A New Wonder: Creator-Driven Merch

Okay y’all. How in the world did the Canadians create the most epic Wonder Bread shop when everyone knows that the South has been soppin’ their food with Wonder Bread as a major food group for over a hundred years? It’s an interesting take on merch as it’s completely fueled by fan-made creations, like the Etsy maker who makes miniature earrings or this rad wonder sweater or crochet pattern. Lesson for the merch pro? Weave into your shop a few merch creations made by employees or fans of your customer’s brand, but also, just take a few notes on how fan-based creator merch is having a big (little) moment!

Get Your Tickets Before They’re Gone!

skucon, the conference that inspired a new generation of innovators, explorers, and dreamers in the branded merch industry, is back! It’s a team-electrifying experience where you can come together to be inspired, challenged, and pushed to dream bigger and reach higher. skuconX marks the 10th time the industry’s most innovative thinkers will gather together to connect, learn, and re-ignite alongside like-minded pros! (Read skucon's origin story here!) Join Joey Coleman (author of Never Lose a Customer Again) and a few of your closest merch friends as we celebrate our 10th journey together in the only way we know how: by imagining a bolder tomorrow! skucon always sells out quickly so grab your team tickets now!

🙈 Neuromarketing makes my brain hurt, but is it the future of marketing?

👂 Heard about our DCX x commonsku collab?

🎨 As a merch pro, you cross-pollinate ideas from everywhere, right? Well, here’s some design inspo from Art Deco to feed your hive mind.

⚽ Sports merch and sponsorship go hand-in-hand but which brand and which sport has the longest running sponsorship of all time? Nike+NBA? Gatorade+NFL? Nope. Chute doggin’ for the win!