More than a token or a trinket, merch has the power to capture a moment in time and allow it to live on in our memories.
Recent events created an unexpected potential merchandise opportunity, with Trump followers turning up to rallies wearing replicas of the ear bandage he sported after July’s assassination attempt.
As a brand, would you be bold enough to put your logo on one of these ear patches? It’s definitely an opportunity to get noticed (although we would need to have a conversation about your target audience and overall strategy before you invest in this area).
Ear patches aside, merch plays a huge role in historic moments of change and history.
Turning back the clock, here’s an example of Australian Political merchandise with the iconic Kevin 07 t-shirts. These took on a life of their own back in 2007, when Kevin Rudd set himself the task of ending eleven years of Liberal Party reign and they’re still iconic today.
Eye-catching, simple and powerful, these shirts conveyed a political message without conveying a political message. The memorable rhyming slogan did its job and took Kevin all the way to Kirribilli House.
Some other examples to jog your memory:
– Labor’s ‘It’s Time‘ T-shirts, from the movement that got Gough Whitlam into power in the 1970s.
– More recently, Obama used ‘Yes, We Can’ to spread his message.
– Of course, we can’t leave out Donald Trump’s ‘Make America Great Again’ caps and bumper sticks, which adorn the heads and cars of his supporters (in that order).
Trump was able to turn a life threatening situation into a triumphant moment that he used to further his platform and win over supporters.
Never miss an opportunity
Speaking of big moments… they don’t all last forever in people’s minds. In the days of social media, big stories can rise and fall in a matter of weeks. But this doesn’t mean you can’t capitalise on them.
The case in point here is 2024’s ‘Hawk Tuah Girl‘, Haliey Welch, who has happily grabbed onto her moment in the limelight. A chance encounter with a vox pop team and an extremely memorable moment (although one that is NSFW), quickly went viral. Not one to waste an opportunity, Haliey paired up with FatheadThreads to create a range of hats, some of which were selling for $50USD.
Sooner or later, these caps will find their way to a cupboard and while the subject matter may not be your cup of tea, there’s no denying the merch did its work to capture a memorable moment.
