Post 2: So much more than a T-Shirt

See the happy fella enjoying an ice-cold beverage up there? He doesn’t know it, but right now, he is promoting a local Traverse City hangout called The Little Fleet.

Let’s conduct an experiment. The next time you head to the gym, the bar, the beach, or street fair, look around. Odds are, the majority of the people are going to be wearing a t-shirt, and odds are, the majority of those t-shirts will not be blank, but will feature a band, brewery, bar, or event.

Why do humans feel compelled to put their experiences and interests on display? It’s simple. Humans have evolved over 100’s of thousands of years to be part of a tribe, and the easiest way to belong is by shared interests. If I go to a U of M football game, evolution has taught me that my odds of being accepted into a larger tribe is by wearing a “Go Blue” t-shirt or hoodie. Wearing an MSU tee would dramatically decrease my odds of fitting in.

In the end, we all just want to belong.

Let’s get back to t-shirts, shall we? So now that we have established how human beings just want to belong to a larger community, and t-shirts are a great way for them to put it out there what they like, where they have been, and what they have done, let’s discuss how your business can benefit from that.

Do you own a brewery/winery/distillery/dispensary? Odds are, you have worked very hard on providing not only a wonderful product for your customers, but an experience. I can’t tell you exactly how the beer tasted at Hop Lot Brewing(one of my favorite breweries in Northern Michigan), but I can tell you how the bonfire smells when you first walk out to the massive wooded patio in back. I can’t describe what it is I love so much about Two James Distilling in Detroit, but I can, in great detail, describe the circular concrete bar I sat at for multiple tastings. Your merchandise is a way for your customer to take that experience home with them, and more importantly, its a way for your customer to illicit a conversation with others about his/her experience.

A t-shirt can turn a customer into a brand ambassador, but only if they actually WANT to wear it.

And that is where T-Shirt Robot comes in! As the head designer, I am not afraid to tell you if you are doing something wrong with your printed apparel(whether it is a generic design, a crappy quality t-shirt, or something else), because in the end, if the shirt is not worn by your customer, it doesn’t benefit either of us.

The difference in cost between a good t-shirt and a bad t-shirt is typically about 40 cents. The difference in return on investment between a good t-shirt and a bad t-shirt is priceless. If you go the extra mile to offer your customer a shirt that is not only well made, flattering, comfortable, and unique(no canned “insert your name here” designs at T-Shirt Robot!), your customers will not only buy the apparel, but they will never want to take it off. Now try to imagine the value of having your customers wearing your branded apparel every day? It’s hard to quantify, but easy to assume the benefits are invaluable.

So let us help you provide your customers with a way to remember you fondly, years after they step out of your establishment. We have over 40 years of combined experience doing this, so your business is in very good hands.

Beau, Chief Idea Officer at T-Shirt Robot