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A post shared by Gary Vay-Ner-Chuk (@garyvee)


This is some amazing use of marketing strategy here that I would like to talk about…

The Tiffany & Co. x Nike collab caused a stir on social media and I believe a lot of you can learn from it. 

The concept of “merch as marketing” & brand collaborations is something more entrepreneurs should consider – both in big companies and small companies. Collabs like this are  conversational, they cross promote communities…It’s relevant, and the press loves to talk about it. In short a strategy like this is a total game changer for any two brands that want to come together and produce something that multiplies value for both. 

 

“Merch as marketing” is a clear opportunity for so many brands… it’s a focus of Vaynermedia and it’s one of the opportunities for everyone watching this, from a Fortune 500 CMO to someone who printed 100 t-shirts and is just starting its brand, to a local business selling sandwiches for the last 45 years, to a dentist in Denver… listen carefully to the macro concept in this video and start executing the “$1.80 strategy”  to get your leads

 

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Way more people/brands need to get on this train…this theme which is going to be big in the next decade. I don’t care if you’re making jerseys, hats, hoodies, or even pancake batter…merch collab is a monster of an opportunity you shouldn’t sleep on. Period!!!


I push this philosophy into my own ventures too: When I did the Driven Dragon VeeFriends collection with one of the great up and coming young designers in the world, Kim Shui…I knew that she had something I could join hands with and generate interest and demand for. She was crushing it in her universe, and her universe was a place VeeFriends hadn’t gotten into yet. As I continue to build the brand of VeeFriends, I’m interested in expanding it into audiences that it hasn’t gotten to yet so this collab just felt “right.”    

But the biggest key to doing these collabs successfully? It has to be authentic. It also helps that she made one of the most epic hoodies that I’ve worn. It’s comfort, interest, and quality that would make for two brands to collaborate and be a match made in branding heaven. 

Your brand could be about anything. From making maple syrup in Canada to building the next Netflix anywhere…it’s all yours to claim if you think strategically. 

Cash in on this monster that is merch marketing…I’m telling you…you’re going to be seeing a lot of brands benefitting from this in the next decade.

Share your two cents with me on Twitter @Garyvee