311 - How To Make Merch That People Actually Want with Savannah Dmytriw, aka Merch Girly

Summary

Episode Summary: “311 - How To Make Merch That People Actually Want with Savannah Dmytriw, aka Merch Girly”

The Marketing Millennials episode 311, hosted by Daniel Murray, features an in-depth conversation with Savannah Dmytriw, known as Merch Girly, the Vice President of Marketing at Team SCG—a full-service corporate merchandising agency. In this episode, Savannah shares her expertise on creating corporate merchandise that resonates with audiences, enhances brand identity, and avoids becoming mere promotional items tossed aside.

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1. The Importance of Strategy in Corporate Merchandising

Savannah opens the discussion by emphasizing that the effectiveness of corporate merch lies not in the products themselves but in the thought, intention, and messaging behind them. She asserts, “It's the thought, the intention, the messaging that goes into producing it, the why behind it” (02:31). This strategic approach ensures that merchandise aligns with the brand’s core values and resonates deeply with the target audience.

She critiques the common pitfall where merch becomes an afterthought in corporate strategies, leading to generic items that lack impact. Savannah points out, “A lot of merch becomes trash. So what actually separates good merch versus bad merch?” (03:59) and explains that lack of strategy is often to blame, as merch initiatives are not prioritized alongside other corporate activities.

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2. Making Merch an Effective Brand Extension

Savannah highlights that merchandise should be a true extension of the brand. She advises against the simplistic approach of slapping logos on generic items, stating, “If you show up with a low quality shirt or a pen that doesn't feel right, it really is an extension of your brand” (06:17). Instead, she advocates for selecting high-quality products that embody the brand’s identity and values.

She further elaborates on the necessity of focusing on a few well-curated items rather than a multitude of subpar products. “Find one thing that you love that you are confident in that you can be really, really enthusiastic about.” (06:46) This targeted approach ensures that each piece of merch creates a lasting impression and fosters a stronger connection with the audience.

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3. Creating Event-Specific Merch that Resonates

When discussing event-specific merchandise, Savannah emphasizes the importance of understanding the event’s goals and the audience’s demographics. She explains, “It depends what the event is... What is your goal while at this event? Are you there to hire? Are you there to promote?” (08:43). Tailoring merch to fit the specific context and objectives of an event increases its relevance and utility.

For example, in hiring events targeted at women in tech, Savannah suggests incorporating elements that resonate with that demographic, such as “tech tattoos and stuff like that” (08:43). This customized approach ensures that the merchandise not only serves as a promotional tool but also as a meaningful symbol for the attendees.

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4. Internal Culture: Merch as Employee Engagement

Savannah underscores the significance of internal merchandise in fostering a strong company culture. She states, “Employees wearing merch are some of your best marketers” (12:12). By providing high-quality, thoughtfully designed merch to employees, companies can turn their workforce into brand ambassadors who organically promote the brand through their daily interactions.

She shares an impactful example where an employee proudly wore a company-issued jean jacket outside of work, illustrating genuine belief and emotional investment in the brand. “That's a huge feather in our cap, and that's a huge feather in the brand's cap because that means that she believes in what they stand for” (10:46).

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5. Trends in the Merchandising Space

Savannah identifies several key trends shaping the corporate merchandising landscape:

• Sustainability: There is a growing emphasis on sustainable practices. Team SCG has partnered with Evertrin to pledge planting 10,000 trees in 2025, offering clients the option to offset their carbon footprint with every additional dollar spent (25:07).

• Subtle Branding: Moving away from overt logo placements, Savannah highlights the shift towards merchandise that features slogans, one-liners, or subtle design elements that reflect the brand’s culture and values. She cites, “There is a time and a place where that [walking billboard branding] is appropriate and there is a time and a place where that is part of the strategy” (18:15).

• Quiet Luxury: Inspired by high-end brands, corporations are adopting a “quiet luxury” approach, integrating sophisticated and understated designs that appeal to consumers’ desire for exclusivity without blatant advertising.

Savannah also cautions against the constant chase for trends, advocating instead for a focus on core brand identity to ensure long-term resonance with audiences.

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6. Rapid Fire Insights from Savannah

In a dynamic rapid-fire segment, Savannah shares her candid opinions on various merchandising topics:

• Most Overrated Piece of Corporate Swag: “The javelina pen. Everybody’s seen it, it's overused, and it makes my skin crawl.” (28:20)

• Best Brands Doing Merch Right Now: “Poppy does an amazing job with their merch... vibrant colors, influencer marketing.” (28:42)

• Merch Item Every Marketer Should Invest In: “Socks. A non-size specific wearable goes a very long way.” (29:08)

• Worst Swag Received: “A Javelina pen.” (29:20)

• Dream Merch Idea if Budget Wasn't an Issue: “A whole drinkware line based off of glass water bottles... no better drinking experience than glass.” (31:10)

• Marketing Hill to Die On: “The beauty of word of mouth. Organic brand building is invaluable.” (32:21)

Savannah passionately defends the value of thoughtful merchandising over generic giveaways, stressing the importance of intentional design and meaningful engagement.

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7. Conclusion and Key Takeaways

Savannah concludes the episode by encouraging brands to invest in quality merchandise that truly represents their identity and values. She reiterates the power of internal culture and employee engagement, highlighting that knowledgeable and enthusiastic employees can significantly enhance brand visibility and reputation.

Key Takeaways:

• Start with “Why”: Understand the purpose and message behind your merchandise to ensure it aligns with your brand.

• Quality Over Quantity: Invest in high-quality products that your audience will value and use, rather than inundating them with generic items.

• Tailored Approaches: Customize merchandise to fit specific events and target audiences to enhance relevance and impact.

• Sustainability Matters: Incorporate sustainable practices into your merchandising strategy to appeal to environmentally conscious consumers.

• Subtle Branding: Move towards subtle and meaningful branding elements that reflect your company’s culture and story.

• Leverage Internal Culture: Use internal merchandise to boost employee morale and turn employees into brand ambassadors.

Savannah closes by inviting listeners to connect with her on various social media platforms, encouraging ongoing engagement and collaboration within the merchandising community.

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Notable Quotes:

• Savannah Dmytriw: “It's the thought, the intention, the messaging that goes into producing it, the why behind it” (02:31).

• Savannah Dmytriw: “If you show up with a low quality shirt or a pen that doesn't feel right, it really is an extension of your brand” (06:17).

• Savannah Dmytriw: “Employees wearing merch are some of your best marketers” (12:12).

• Savannah Dmytriw: “The javelina pen is out for 20, 25. Everyone.” (29:30).

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This episode offers valuable insights for marketers seeking to enhance their corporate merchandising strategies, emphasizing the importance of intentional design, quality, and strategic alignment with brand values. Savannah Dmytriw’s expertise provides actionable guidance for creating merchandise that not only promotes the brand but also fosters genuine connections with both internal and external audiences.

Transcript

[Daniel Murray]

Welcome to the Marketing Millennials, the no BS Marketing podcast. I'm Daniel Murray and join me for unfiltered conversations with the brains behind marketing's coolest companies. The one request I tell our guests stories or it didn't happen. Get ready to turn the top. We are back with another episode of.

[Savannah Demetriou]

The Marketing Millennials podcast. Today I'm joined by Savannah Demetriou, AKA Merch Girly, to talk all things corporate merch and why it's one of the most underrated marketing channels out there. We're breaking down how to make merch people actually want and not toss in the trash. If you've ever stopped a logo on a T shirt and called it a day, this episode will change the way you think about merch. So let's get into the episode. I am here with Savannah Dimitri, AKA Merge Girly. We're going to talk everything merch today. So this is going to be fun, but I want you to quickly introduce yourself and then we can get going.

Hi, I'm Sav your merch girly. Here to talk merch strategy with the girlies and the gays who run corporate marketing. So that's like high level me. My name is Savannah Dimitri. I am the vice president of marketing over here at Team scg. We are a full service corporate merchandising agency. So we source and produce merch for enterprise corporations across the country. I mean, that can look like a million different things. When you say merch, that can obviously mean mugs, pens, hats, uniforms, but that can go as far as like fully baked new hire kits, awards and recognition, just general e commerce stores. And I mean, at this point it's turned into something where we become the sourcing guru for our clients. So we've had crazy, crazy requests come in as far as, you know, looking for shelf stable milk for clients because we're just able to get that at this point with that. I'm a big connoisseur of brand and I am a big enthusiast of product to make sure that what we are producing for our clients doesn't end up in the trash can.

Yeah, I want to go into that. So Merge has been around forever. It's still a marketing tool that people use. What makes Merge so effective in 2025?

It's not product, it's not the product itself. It's not the pen, it's not the mug, it's not the notebook. It's the thought, the intention, the messaging that goes into producing it, the why behind it. Oftentimes, marketers always think who what, where, when, why, what I like to do and the approach that I take is, is why are we doing it? Like, what is the message that you're trying to get across before you even get into the who it's going to, before you even get into the, like, what this product is going to be? Because when you, when you start with a why, then you're able to understand at a high level, like what is going to move the needle and what is going to really, really make the project overarchingly resonate with the end users. Because with these enterprise programs, you know, oftentimes you're, you're, you know, you're targeting an extremely wide audience. The people that are receiving your merch can be from a million different ends of the spectrum. So it's not necessarily super niche, but, but as like these corporations spend so much time and money investing into merch, it's really the messaging behind it that separates the men from the mice. Like it really separates the people that are just taking a product and slapping a logo on it versus people that are really trying to infuse their culture with product.

Yeah, you said it at the beginning. A lot of merch becomes trash. So what actually separates good merch versus bad merch?

So I see it all the time and I think a lot of it just lies in the fact that there's a lack of strategy that goes into producing merch. In my opinion, that is not at the fault of the brand itself. Because let's be real here, merch falls can fall very low on the totem pole of all of the activities that lie on, you know, somebody's plate within, whether that be like an HR job, a marketing job, events job. There's, there's so many other things that people are focused on that, you know, oftentimes merch becomes the afterthought. But I think what really, really creates that differentiator of something become a becoming a prized possession versus ending up in the junk drawer is really strategically understanding what product is going to land and not just necessarily going off of trends, not necessarily going off of what there, I mean there's, there's so, so many different things that go into it, but not, not just going off of feel, but going off of understanding like who this is going to, understanding what type of event this is going to be. There's so many questions that you have to ask but beforehand before you then land on the product. But a lot of people don't ask those questions. They use a one size fits all approach because there's so many trends being thrown at us these days. There's so much going on that the distributor, the person that's proposing the mo. The merch, the actual expert should be, you know, really, really seeking to understand holistically what the brand is, try what the brand is trying to achieve who the brand is and then like proposing product and solution based off of that, that holistic understanding. And a lot of times those questions aren't being asked. There isn't that understanding of the brand. It's just pushing product to make the sale. And that's where you see the exact same things being produced over and over and over again versus the things where you can tell they took a lot of time and thought to, to curate it.

Yeah, I always say to people that if you show up with not walt thought of merge, it's an extension of your brand. So they're going to think of your brand differently. If you show up with a low quality shirt or a pen that doesn't feel right or it really is an extension of your brand. So if you're going to do merch, do it that fits your brand. Don't try to just buy shirts just to buy shirts or buy pens just to buy pens.

That's so many people's strategy. They're like, okay, I just gotta put something out there, I gotta put my logo on something as well as, like people will try to get as much product as possible rather than. This kind of goes against the whole nature of my bulk business. But I say scale it back. Don't try to get a million different products out there with your logo. Find one thing that you love that you are confident in that, that you can be really, really enthusiastic about. Because that's gonna be the thing that hits. That's gonna be the thing that takes, you know, that people then remember you by. Because you are enthusiastic about it, you're confident in it because it does take a lot of time to actually create that good product. I mean, you can roll the dice and you can hit, you know, of course, like in any sort of gamble. But I don't look at merch as a gamble. I think that it's something like it's, it's a chess game. Like you have to, you have to find your, your budget and you have to find product within that budget. You have to sample, you have to, you know, understand decoration. You have to understand how to maximize decoration or minimize decoration. Whatever your brand kind of falls within. That's, that's, I mean there's so many, so many factors out there. But I, I think that people try to overcomplicate it because they get so, so excited. You get that marketing budget and you're like, well, I want a full outfit and we can get there. But I think that what I always tell my clients is like, let's, let's walk before we run because this is a very, very exciting thing to do. And people just get a little carried away too quick. And that's when you lose the brand, you lose the strategy and you end up with a bunch of product that just doesn't hit.

Yeah. One of the biggest places obviously merch is used is large conferences or events. So what is the key to creating merge for events that actually gets noticed and used?

So I think that it really depends what the event is because here's the thing, I mean there's a million zillion different types of events out there. But you have to understand like, what is your goal while at this event? Are you there to hire? Are you there to promote your new software? Are you there to just overall increase brand awareness? Or did you just have a rebrand? What is it? And then again, it's starting with the why and then who's going to be there? What's the crowd? Oftentimes at events there is some sort of more like, there is some sort of more like niche behavior or niche identifier that then you can play to. I've been doing a lot of DNI hiring events for my enterprise talent acquisition programs. So a lot of times it's finding, you know, like at a, you know, a women, women in tech hiring event, you know, having things that, that speak to the girlies in tech as well as, you know, some more techie lingo and creating some tech tattoos and stuff like that, like understanding who it is that you're, you're trying to reach there, but also keeping product that's true to your brand and showing like taking these opportunities to, to, to flex your brand a little bit, to not try to be like super young, hip, almost like to Gen Z forward brand. If you're over here and you're a little bit more of that, that crusty financial space which I love that that's a lot of my bread and butter, I'm not going to lie. But really it really boils down to like understanding the messaging that you're trying to achieve and who you're marketing to and then like marrying the two and figuring out how to stay true to yourself while marketing to these other people.

Yeah, I really believe the real test that you have a brand is if people are willing to buy your merch.

No, I mean, and that's the, that's the truth. So a lot of what we do is these, these e Comm stores for, like, for, for these corporations. And there is something to it where, you know, we have these winners that they can't keep their, they can't keep their merch on the shelves, whereas others, you know, where they don't necessarily take the strategic approach to it and stuff doesn't move. And, and that's, you know, obviously we can guide them as much as possible, but at the end of the day, of course, it's the client's decision, it's their budget, whatever they want to move forward with. But, but on top of investing in your merch, voluntarily wearing it outside of the office, like there. I just had a client, we did jean jackets for her, like, specific business unit. She's in a financial, like, she works for like a financial institution, but she wore her jean jacket to the rodeo and took a picture. We follow each other on Instagram. And so, you know, just seeing that, it's like, wait, hold on. She didn't have to wear this, but she felt so emotionally invested in her brand, in the product that she went as far as wearing it to a recreational activity where she's not being paid to rep the brand. Like, that's, that's a huge feather in our cap, and that's a huge feather in the brand's cap because that means that she believes in what they stand for.

Yeah. I think one of the most forgotten places where people don't invest in merch is internal culture and making sure that your employees, because they are ultimately some of your best marketers, if they're talking about your company or you, they're wearing it out and about. They could be marketers for you without you knowing. So creating great merch either for, say, an event that you, you're doing or for that new hire package, the, the first impression that you have with that new employee that comes in giving them the best of the best merch. I think people don't think too hard on that, but it actually is one of the best ways to get your brand out there for just the cost of the merch, for sure.

And here's the thing. Like your, Your labor is one of your most valuable assets. Your talent within a corporation and the amount of time it takes to hire, onboard, train, get up to speed with your, with your talent. It takes a lot to get somebody to a place where they can go and they can fly on their own. Whereas, you know, you want to make sure that those people that. That make it through that feel enchanted by your brand. You want them to start off on the best foot. You want them to have that amazing first impression. So before they enter into, you know, the office on their first day, they are jazzed to be there. And how can you do that? How can you do that through, you know, just like sending them an offer letter? Obviously, like, people are super excited about their salary, or you would hope so at least. But there are additional ways to make people not just feel like a number. And, you know, when you see people inside an organization that are wearing their company's, Their. Their company's merch, it's something that, like, you can't. You can't pay for that. Like, that is that. That pays in dividends. The amount of impressions that you get by just having the brand reinforced by the internal company. And especially in these, like, large metropolitan areas where a lot of these, you know, large corporations live, it's not just within the four walls of the office. It's them going to the coffee break and, and, you know, go. I mean, going to the coffee shop down the street and seeing the other five large corporations that are in the same, you know, warehouse park or whatever, it is that, like, everybody's either wearing their merch or they're like, wow, like, my company doesn't give merch like that. So I think that they have something going on where they all look sharp. Like, I want to be a part of that. Like, like you're then advertising to your competitors with. Not direct advertisement, not necessarily the meat and potatoes of, like, these hiring events, but just indirectly, organically, like, getting those impressions. Even in, like, a yoga class. I mean, my eyes very trained to it at this point, but I go into, like, my yoga, my Pilates, whatever, and I am looking at all the water bottles, at all the hoodies. People are wearing all the hats and socks and all these things. And I'm able to generally, like, look out and see like, oh, like that company cares. Oh, wow. That company has a good culture. Oh, this person is literally, like, taking the time to wear this and, and really, really putting the brand out there. Like, that's. That's awesome. And that's a huge win.

Yeah. One of my favorite things to do is buy hats from, like, unique coffee shops or restaurants or places or hotels that you won't see on everyday street. Because I feel it gives more personality to yourself if you, let's say, go to that local coffee shop and people Are like, well, what's that? Coffee shop. But if I've also been in a place where I'm like, I wish you had such better hats or better merch in your. Why are you making it so sloppy? I would buy this if you would just make it a high quality hat or a cool looking hat or a hat that someone would wear every day.

Exactly. And at the end of the day it's an extension of brand, but it's also a revenue stream. So you know people, you can be that coffee shop and you know, serve amazing coffee, have like an amazing mission, have an amazing cause, but then if you don't have that, that hat that then you can give somebody to and maybe they don't even buy it. Maybe it's part of your loyalty program where you know, on your 20th coffee or 20th time in the store, we'll give you a hat. Like people will a be so jazzed to show up to your coffee shop every day and work towards that hat. And then they get the hat and then they're walking out of there and you have a brand ambassador. But on top of that, like, like people want to feel a part of things that they like and things that they're enthusiastic about, which oftentimes is those hospitality exposure experiences. It is that service industry. It is something that is part of your regular life that you can get really, really involved in and you, you identify that or you identify with that. Like that's brand equity. Like that's, that's part of like people's personal identities.

What do you think about creating merch that isn't necessarily logo forward but has something that people would actually wear like a one liner or a slogan or you know what I mean? Like I, I have, I have, I have a hat from one of my friends and I that is say says like something about creators creating like I'm creating today or something like that. And it has the logo on the side, but it isn't logo forward. But I wear it more than I would wear something that, from a B2B brand that would have their logo slapped on the top.

Yeah. So I think like, I think that that's the new wave, I think that's the new wave of, of merch. People are becoming more and more aware of being walking billboards and there is like, there is a time and a place where that is appropriate and there is a time and a place where that is part of the strategy. Of course, you know, when you're trying to like build that brand awareness, but what do you do with the people who are already aware of your brand and they're. They have. They have a stake in your brand, whatever that may be, but they want more. They want to understand the meaning of your brand. They want to, you know, really get in on it. That's the culture. When you start branding your culture, that's where you have people that become really, really enthusiastic about what you have going on. For example, I have this varsity jacket right here that we did, like, we have. We always have like a. Like an employee gift at the end of the year where, you know, we just give it to the team and something that, like, everybody gets, like, really excited about. But. So this is like a varsity jacket. But then rather, rather than just having, like, our logo on it, we have established in 1888, we have the icon, we have, you know, all these things on the back, and it's part of, like, a varsity jacket. We're team scg. It's symbolism. And we wanted to make this feel like a retail piece rather than just having team SCG on it. And we did that because that's part of our culture, you know, and that's. That's something. This has been, I mean, by far one of the, like, most well received gifts that we've ever had. I'm not here to, like, wear my varsity jacket all the time. I have it, you know, hung across my chair. And it's part of, like, it's part of something that I, you know, visualize every day. And it's something that I'm. I'm really, you know, proud to be a part of. But I think more and more, especially as you have, like, a brand with a story, a brand with longevity, a brand that, like, people want to feel a part of. When you have that. That community invested in your brand, understand what are the pillars of your brand that people are excited about? Is it a saying? Is it a specific, you know, like, is it a specific date? Is this. Is it a specific number? I mean, there's so many different things that you can do to. To really, really, like, develop an understanding of your brand through your merch without it just being your logo and having that level of recognition. And I think that there's also, like, subtle ways to brand, too, that doesn't. I call it when it goes across the chest or, like, when it's front and center. I call that the billboard brand. Whereas, like, there's subtleties that you can then even take from retail products. I think, like, a lot I'm. I'm a luxury consumer, and I think a Lot of luxury brands do this very well. It's an if you know, you know, and you almost feel a part of, like, the secret society that is the brand. When you're able to recognize these, like, cultural references as well as see the brand in spaces that aren't so obvious, and it makes it more interesting to look at.

Yeah, My. My wife's a big fan of the row, and she. She's like, if you know, you know, if you know that's a bro piece, you'll know it's a row piece, even though it doesn't say the row anywhere. I also. I also was gonna say. Yeah. One of my former companies, service titan, what they used to do at their year mark is your. Your market. Working there. They used to give you a baseball jersey with your employee number on there. And I thought that was, like, a nice touch for, like, your first year working at a company having your employee number and it had, like, a service tied in the front. I thought it was pretty cool to just. And pretty personalized to that person's experience and your last name on the back, which is cool.

Absolutely. And that's the thing where it's like they're investing in your experience. You hit that milestone, you hit that, you hit that marker. We have a lot of. We call it, like, awards and recognition or years of service programs where these large corporations are spending seven figures to put together, like, these programs. So when you get to X milestone, you get Y. And so then you get to a place where you're able to walk around the office or, you know, look at somebody's home office and see, you know, oh, this person's been here for this long. Or you strive to, like, almost get to that specific milestone, because then you, you know, you get that baseball jersey, you get that, you know, I don't love trophies, but, like, there are some that are tasteful. Like, you have to do it very tastefully, but, like, to get those specific milestone gifts, because then you. You feel a part of it.

There's always a balance between budget and quality. So how do you walk that line between budget and quality? Quality.

So I am always a quality over quantity gal. I think that you have to have a deeper understanding of what you're trying to achieve when you're. When you're sourcing product. And I would always say get a more expensive product. Get a, like, stretch your budget by having a more expensive product and getting less of it rather than more of a less expensive product. But then, I mean, that can go a million different ways. I'm not saying that you have to get a $50 bag versus, you know, a $5 bag. But like, I think that by, by sampling product, by, by, you know, really understanding quality of the product that you're, that you're getting, you should be able to stretch your budget much farther than you would, than you would typically understand. I know a lot of people buy their merch off the, off like online from like these large corporations, like you know, for imprint, Vistaprint, whatever, and they're just trying to like check the box of getting the, getting the merch box on their, on their to do list checked off that they're not going through the time of like sampling and really understanding what they're going to get. They're just trying to, they just know what their budget is and then they just try to get product based off of that. Whereas, you know, you can, instead of getting a retail brand of, you know, notebook or whatever it is, get a factory brand that isn't paying for the marketing of the retail brand but is still the same quality and you can get that, get it significantly cheaper. There's a lot of different buying hacks that you can do, but I would always say get something that is of higher quality rather than trying to get more and more quantity. Quantity.

What are some trends that are shaping the merch space right now?

First and foremost, I think that we're making a big shift towards more sustainable causes. Here at Team scg, we are, you know, putting together initiatives to try to offset some of our carbon footprint, which just comes with being a part of the industry. A lot of what we do is at the root of it or face value, maybe not the most sustainable, but how do we go, you know, take it a few steps forward and, and how do we, you know, make up for our carbon footprint? We just signed a partnership with this amazing company called Evertrin where we are pledging to plant 10,000 trees in 2025. And we'll be able to offer that to our clients for every, you know, extra dollar spent, will be able to then plant a tree on behalf of their corporation. So doing those types of things are going to be huge difference makers. Because as much as we want to be sustainable too, these large corporations want to find opportunities to become more and more sustainable and do better, be better, and really take the time to do good out there. Um, I think kind of something that you mentioned beforehand is people are trying to stray more and more away from the billboard branding because the billboard branding is something that just isn't the fact of the matter is most people aren't connected to your logo. You know, they're connected to the, the deep root of your brand, the culture within, within your, your company. And so that's where, where I always say, like, find it, find the why. Understand that. And you know, everybody talks about quiet luxury. This, like, this is our version of that. You know, we're, we're not in the luxury space. I mean, we can source premium products, premium gifts and all, all that. But you know, we try to then take that and roll it into what we do so it's not so much in your face, brand, brand, brand, it's trying to, to find these, these little things that make our product and, and our clients brands look more retail. And then also, like, I think trends in particular, we live in a time where there's so many trends out there, there's a new trend every day. You know, I'm a big TikTok gal. Like, I love, I love hopping on there and seeing, seeing what's new. I get a lot of inspiration from it, to be honest. But you know, if I presented my clients a new trend every day or like the trend of, you know, what's going on and what's like, immediately in front of me, like, they would be like, like, what the heck? Like this, this doesn't make sense. And I think that rather than trying to stay so on trend, it's more so about finding like the deep root of, of who your brand is and then creating product around that.

I want to go into a rapid fire round if that's good for you. Just say the first thing that comes to mind with these questions.

Okay, I'll do my best here.

Yeah, it's all good. Juan, what's the most overrated piece of corporate swag?

The javelina pen. And I mean, everybody's seen the javelina pen, but it is very specific and every, like there's so many people that use it and it's just so, so overused. It makes my skin crawl.

What's one of the best brands doing merch right now?

So I think Poppy does an amazing job with their merch. I mean, they've come out here and really, really with their vibrant colors, with their brand, with the way that they've rolled it out with their influencer marketing, they do an amazing job with it.

If you had to pick one merch item every marketer should invest in, what would it?

I would say socks. A non size specific wearable goes a very long way.

What is the worst swag you've ever received?

A Javelina pen.

The javelina pen is out for 20, 25. Everyone.

You heard it here first. I'm gonna get a lot of. I'm gonna get a lot of. A lot of flack for that one. Because, I mean, there are people who have had their careers made on the javelina pen, and they. They just still push it, push it, push it to this day. And the thing is, like, a pen in particular, and I know that this isn't rapid fire, but, hey, I'm a yapper, Daniel, that a pen, in my opinion, is just as valuable as your business card. You can create such an impression with a pen with a writing utensil that you wouldn't necessarily understand just by, like, looking at a pen. But the way that people get so passionate about their writing utensils as well as, you know, the amount of impressions that you can get from a pen, let alone a pen that's being used every day and people are enthusiastic about it's. I mean, if you put even an ounce of intention into it, it can go a very, very, very long way.

I love a good hotel pen more than anything. When you see that good hotel pen, it's going straight in the bag.

So I have, like, a. Like, a jar on my desk of pens that I've taken from hotels and restaurants that, like, are from these unique experiences, and they're my trophies. Like, I'm able to, like, look at them and be like, oh, my gosh, like, you know that Michelin star restaurant I went to when I was in Houston? Or, oh, you know, that, like, five star resort I went to? It's like, it's a collectible piece for me, and, like, I feel very highly or I think very highly about these. These places when I'm able to, like, see their pen. And it's a quality, like, thoughtful pen.

If budget wasn't an issue, what's a dream merch idea you would create for a brand?

Oh, my gosh. How much time do we have? So, okay, I would love to construct a whole drinkware line based off of glass, because at this point, there's a lot of, you know, plastic water bottles out there. There's a lot of metal water bottles out there. But I am also a hydration queen at heart, and there is no better drinking experience than when you consume water from a glass bottle. I know that there's some. There's some trickiness around, you know, shattering and whatnot. But, you know, we're talking in a perfect. Daniel did. We just runs. We're over here. We're Flexing our mountain valley. So, you know what I'm saying, right? Like, like, I think that more people need to get on the glass water bottle trend. We need to come up with a way to, to create like, good glass water bottles out there, because there is no better drinking hydration experience than through the glass water bottle.

And lastly, what is a marking hill you would die on?

So a marketing hill that I would die on is, you know, the beauty of word of mouth. It takes time. And people, you know, oftentimes, especially in this day and age, everybody wants that instant gratification and everybody wants to, you know, buy their followers and everybody wants to, you know, go viral and do all these things. But like, organically letting your brand find its people, find its tribe, there's nothing more valuable than that. And like having your community become the champions of your brand and help helping you develop your brand based on, you know, the actual people that are, that are involved in it. I think that, that there's so much value in that. Rather than just trying to be first to market, rather than just trying to, you know, grow, grow, grow. That gives you time to be very strategic and intentional. And it's something that I have, I mean, I could attribute my, my whole career to at this point.

And where could people find the merge girly, what you're doing and all that good stuff?

So give me a follow at merch Girly on TikTok on Instagram. My name is Savannah Dimitri on LinkedIn and so you can just f, like follow there. I'm, you know, I love interacting with people. I love, you know, hearing what you all have going on. I love hearing your all's backgrounds. I, I, you know, really, really resonate with people's stories. And I, I want to learn more about all the different industries people are involved in because at the end of the day, what I do translates into a million different industries. Everybody needs merch, everybody needs brand recognition. And so I like to understand a vast majority or vast experience to then be able to figure out if it's something that I could potentially help with or at least, you know, I, I like to learn things and so definitely give me a follow, definitely reach out, introduce yourself. And, you know, I'm just happy to be here.

Well, thank you so much. This was great. And people invest in your merch. I'll buy a good hat or a good, A good pen.

A good hat and a good pen. Exactly.

And I mean and glass, glass water bottle.

Exactly. And until we, until we develop that product, Daniel and I, everybody just go drink your Mountain Valley water.

Well, thank you and it's been great.

Thank you Daniel. It's been a pleasure.

[Daniel Murray]

Thanks so much for listening. Keep tuning in to hear more great insights from the coolest marketers from around the world. If you haven't already, make sure to subscribe and follow the Marketing Millennials podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcast. And if you like what you hear, I would greatly appreciate you giving us a five star rating. It helps bring more marketers into our community.