The Backpack: Issue #34

Retro Keeps Trending: Horton’s 60!

Whatever you think of Tim Horton’s (the Denny’s of Canada), they roll out some cool merch. To wit: their latest drop featuring a celebration of their 60th. Sure, it's basic. But that’s the point, isn’t it? An anti-maximalist attitude and a throwback to when you threw on your sweatpants in an un-ironic way (back when sweats were def not cool) and loaded up in the wagoneer to cruise down to Tim’s for a double-double. Fan responses to the merch? “Obsesseddddd”, “looks so 🔥 🔥 🔥”, and “copped.” Happy birthday, Tims. We knew you when.

Aldi’s Rizz Game is Insane

We’ve reported on it before, but we’re back for the third time to talk about it. Why? Cause never in our merchified life have we ever imagined that a discount grocery store would teach people how to merch. Aldi’s merch has sold out three times. It’s huge with fans. Here’s their latest Spring drop. The biggest secret to their sell-out merch? Subsidizing costs. They’re retailing this sneaker for $12.99. You don’t need a merch degree to realize they’re eating the cost of that shoe as well as absorbing costs with the rest of their merch. Why? BRAND. Aldi’s gets it (might be a new t-shirt). Aldi’s understands that branded merch is a cultural signifier that can build an obsession with fans … which leads to more customers, which leads to more fans, which leads to more merch. Be sure you share this example with clients, if Aldi’s can do it, they can too!

Spring Cleaning is Trending: Clean Up Those Tags!

Managers! You know that springy fresh feeling you get when you declutter and Marie-Kondo your life? Well, we’ve got a commonsku version: cleaning up those tags. Aly Brunton, Product Marketing Manager, breaks it down for you in a simple 1-min video here. Why’s it important? Springy fresh, backpacker! Oh, and also, easier tag management means you and your team will actually use those tags in a way that drives results!

Is Spatial Shopping the Next E-Commerce Leap?

Yeah, we know Apple’s Vision Pro is an expensive way to dress up as "The Incredible’s" Frozone, but maybe worth it for that alone? Meanwhile, StockX is just one of many Web3 brands now looking at building shopping apps inside Apple’s juggernaut. Is spatial computing the next e-commerce leap? Time to grab your super suit?

The Remarkable Women Behind Red Promotions

Shelley Stewart is the CEO and Creative Experience Officer at Red Promotions, based in Seattle, WA. As a women-owned, led, and fully operated team, they are a powerhouse for their clients and have worked hard to build an incredible culture and a fiscally vibrant business. We sat down with Shelley to talk about her obsession with efficiency, her tips on building fiscal strength in your company and how to, in her words, “lead like a woman.” Tune in here!

Waltz Across Texas with Numo, T-Tycoon, & Friends!

There’s nothing like a little Texas road trip to remind you just how big Texas is: from Dallas to Austin to McAllen, across the border to Reynosa, Mexico, and back to Ft. Worth. In all, we traveled just over 1,000 miles on a road trip to hang out with friends and rediscover the heartbeat of what makes this incredible industry hum. Check out our pics from factory tours with T-Tycoon and Numo, deep in the heart of Texas!

Are You Creating a Speak Up Culture?

As the Andy Stanley quote goes, “Leaders who don’t listen will eventually be surrounded by people who have nothing to say.” And, that silence is dangerous. Cultures of silence lead to missed opportunities, failure, and sometimes even disaster. How do you know you’re creating a speak up culture that rewards risk and brings out the best ideas in your team? Tune in to the latest episode of the skucast to hear brilliant insight from skucamp keynote speaker Stephen Shedletzky as he unpacks how to build a speak up culture!

Robbed. Caught on Tape. Made a T-Shirt About It.

Some of you OG’s might recall the skucast interview we did with LA’s Supervsn founder Gavin Matthieu, “Never Not Creating.” In LA, Gavin purposefully opened his shop on notoriously troubled Slauson street. Why? To build in the heart of his community. A few weeks ago, Supervisn was robbed, and the break-in was caught on tape. How did Gavin respond? “I’m going to use this [break-in] to remind you of my intentions, which is to serve the youth. We’re going to do what we do best – MAKE A T-SHIRT.” In three days, the t-shirt netted over $5k to help pay for damages. Mad props to Gavin and the team for turning a tough situation into a t-shirt of community support. Check out our throwback episode with Gavin here.

Is Your National Park This Cool? $2 Million Cool?

Run, don't walk, to the Parks Project’s shop. Get this: Parks Project (started in 2015 by folks with a love for saving our parks), through selling merch, has donated over $2 million to National Parks. $2 mil! And since Spring has sprung, many of you IRL backpackers are gearing up for park visits, so why not do so decked out in this latest Snoopy drop? I mean, this cooler? This old-school percolator? How about these camp mugs? TBH, our fave might be this tie-dye jogger set. So, packs on! Go support your park! Brave the great outdoors! And remember the immortal words of the man Charlie Brown himself: “Hey! We're supposed to be roughing it. There's no thermostat in a tent!”

Tesla’s Throwing (Branded) Hammers

Tesla released a limited run of 800 branded cyberhammers that you can’t buy, as a part of their referral program for Cybertruck owners. Regardless of how you feel about Elon and crew, you gotta admit they have a sense of humor when it comes to merch. And creating a referral program for your rabid fanbase (that includes an ironic nod to a failed showcase) is a great way to foment public scorn but (also) insider loyalty. Kudos to the creative team behind the hit smash 😂 eBay’s already lit with those $5k hammers.

🌯 Jimmy John’s releases a silk (yes, silk) scarf to celebrate the return of its Caprese Salami Pesto Wrap. The name? The Ciao Down Silk Scarf. 😂

🍿 Popcorn movie theme buckets are getting weirder.

🌸 Probably the most rad, interactive merch guide we’ve ever seen about cherry blossom trees.

👀 Kinda cool: Kacey Musgraves collabs with Etsy makers to create merch in anticipation of her new album. Think this a far stretch for promo? Not according to Denise Taschereau of Fairware. She talked about this idea in her skucon talk, Future Proofing Promo!

🍺 We think Coors (shop + merch) can do better, might need a backpacker to help give their merch selection some style.

🌶️ What do you think, backpacker? Is Red Robin’s drip a lil’ too literal with their red hot Juicy Couture merch? BTW: a glimpse at the making of here.

🏀 Any “My Hero Academia” fans out there who might also be NBA fans? Got you.

⚡ A brilliant look at how Gen-Z broke the marketing funnel.

💎 Merch Madness for March Madness: Caitlin Clark breaks records and this is how you do a proper t-shirt.