With the untimely death of Michael Jackson last week, many are trying to capitalize off the late singer’s popularity and his fans’ grief. Promotional T-shirts like the one above are popping up, and older promotional merchandise is popping up on eBay with jacked up prices. It’s a little bit sick. The man was hundreds of millions of dollars in debt– it would be nice to see if some of these companies that are producing new imprinted apparel donate a portion of the proceeds to his kids to ensure that they’ll be taken care of.
Via the No Doubt Store
So some good friends of mine went to the No Doubt concert at Jones Beach over the weekend. I was super jealous, but I decided to ask them anyway what kind of merch was there. As usual, it was just your standard T-shirts– I expected better from Gwen! So I got on Google and I found this promotional toy of the band. The figures look a little creepy, but they did have some unique promotional apparel as well, like belts and underwear. Overall, a job well done for a band that hasn’t come out with a new album in some time.
I always like to see merch that really ties into what a band is all about, and this promotional incense holder for The Grateful Dead is a great example of that. This is a band that has inspired a wide variety of merchandise. My dad is a huge Dead Head, and he’s definitely got a few promotional shot glasses with the dancing bears on them laying around his house. And of course, what is possibly my personal favorite, there’s promotional ice cream to commemorate Jerry Garcia.
I don’t really love U2, but I do absolutely love this promotional toy– a Lego set of the band! It really pushes the limits of what you can do with merch– and U2’s been around for a long time, so they’ve probably exhausted their limits of creative possibilities with promotional t-shirts and custom buttons.
Here is some really unique band merch– show your love for Bloc Party safely with promotional condoms! While it’s a little strange, at least they’re promoting responsibilty.
Custom hats are another band merch staple, so it’s nice to see that they come in different styles. The promotional baseball cap is great for summer and warmer months, while the beanie keeps you warm in the winter while still letting you show off your band pride.
I always like to see bands offering merch beyond the typical promotional t-shirts and buttons. I came across this really neat promotional tote bag for Streetlight Manifesto, a ska band I used to listen to a lot in high school. Since girls tend to buy more merch at shows than guys do, it makes sense that they would start make gender-specific merch. I wonder how long it will take them to come out with custom personal care products like makeup bags and travel kits– that would definitely be a unique way to show loyalty to a band!
Promotional posters are standard merch for any band, and they’re the ultimate way for fans to show loyalty– you won’t put a poster up in your dorm room for everyone to see and judge unless you really like a band. Back in 2005, Modest Mouse partnered with the Decoder Ring to create a unique poster inspired by a specific lyric or song for each stop of their tour. I couldn’t find the poster for their New York concert, which I went to back in the day , but the above image is from one of the Washington legs of their tour. I really wish they had been giving them away for free at the concert, because they would have made a great collector’s item. Instead all I got was a T shirt, which was way overpriced.
Summer is on its way, and I am getting pumped for concerts and outdoor music festivals. After checking the lineup for this year’s Lollapalooza, I started looking through their old merch. Lollapalooza actually has promotional baby apparel, offering a onesie that says, “does this diaper make my butt look big?” and the Lollapalooza logo. It just goes to show, music– and merch– is for everyone.
So I was cleaning my room the other day, and I found this book that I got as I was leaving a Kanye West concert last summer. It’s full of advice and inspirational quotes from Kanye about how to get through life and get the most out of the opportunities presented to you. The content is a little cliched, but getting a free book when leaving a concert is something different. Promotional books are definitely a unique and underused alternative to the standard promo T shirt.
Metallica fans are a unique group of individuals (in a good way), and they know it. Show off your Metallica love with this stylish choker necklace. And if you like customizable jewelry, check out this.
Keep your car not only smelling fresh but looking fresh too, with these promotional band air fresheners. From ACDC to Blink 182 and Led Zeppelin you can show your support for any of your favorite bands while coasting along listening to your favorite CD.
For the Rock God in all of us these promotional guitar picks are ultra cool. Get your favorite band name portrayed on your pick so whenever you rock out, you can feel like you are apart of the coolest band ever to rock this earth.
These promotional Van Halen striped shoes are perfect for those die hard Van Halen fans. Rock out from head to toe with these cool promotional footwear products.
What better way to spice up your bed or couch then with a promotional throw blanket of your favorite band. From Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin rocking out to Green Day and Guns N’ Roses CD covers, these band throws are sure to keep you warm and lookin’ rockin’.
Even bands are trying to go green this day and age. Dave Matthews Band is selling DMB reusable tote bags through their official store. Now you can be DMB cool and Eco-friendly chic all at the same time. They also sell promotional water bottles, frisbees and awareness bracelets. If you want to check out some other Eco-friendly products check out this great blog I found: www.ecologicalpromos.com
When bands reuinte, sometimes they need a fresh marketing strategy to entice their fans to attend their concerts. Thats just what No Doubt did to promote their new tour. For those who purchase their top tickets, they receive No Doubt’s entire online back catalogue for free, which includes five studio albums. However, the giveaway is only available if you order your tickets through No Doubt’s website as opposed to other ticket venues such as Ticketmaster or Stub Hub.
I came across these great band buckles (formally known as a belt buckle) to add to your collection of great promotional band apparel. From ACDC to Green Day, these buckles are sure to make you the king of all band schwag.
Use promotional clocks to represent your favorite band or singer. Not only will these creative collector items keep you on time for all of those killer concerts you have to attend, but they are pretty cool to look at as well.
Thanks to A.V. Club I found the ultimate band merch, the KISS Casket. Not only does the coffin symbolize the popularity of KISS, but no one other than Gene Simmons could have thought of such a lofty piece of band schwag. Frankly a KISS promotional t-shirt would suit me just fine, but if I had to go out - then I’d want to go out like this.