50 marketing mistakes / Mistake #10
Mistake #10 of 50Don’t make your logo so big that you ruin the product.
A great shirt with tasteful branding gets worn. A walking billboard stays in the drawer.
What it costs you
Nobody wears a billboard.
Here’s where a lot of businesses get it wrong.
They put a giant logo across the whole back of the shirt. Then the phone number. Then the website. Then a list of every service they offer.
It looks like a billboard.
Nobody wants to wear a billboard on their day off.
So it gets worn at work, and never anywhere else. Your name never makes it to the grocery store, the soccer game or dinner.
A real example
The billboard and the one they keep
Picture two shirts from the same business.
The first one: huge logo, phone, website and a list of services. Worn at work. Never anywhere else.
The second one: a clean, simple logo on the chest. Nice enough to wear to dinner. Worn everywhere.
A small logo on a great shirt gets worn on Saturday.
A giant logo on a cheap shirt gets worn to paint the garage.
Same name on both. Only one of them leaves the house.
Why it happens
Why the logo keeps getting bigger
People wear things they like. Nobody wears an ad.
Do this instead
Keep the logo small.
If your people would wear it off the clock, you got it right. That goes for the shirts you give customers, too. Here’s what works, by business.
| Your business | What works |
|---|---|
| Salon or spa | Aprons or smocks, all in one color, with the name small on the chest |
| Restaurant or café | Matching T-shirts, aprons and caps |
| Office, bank or financial | Polos or quarter-zips, with a small embroidered logo |
| Gym or studio | Performance shirts the staff actually work out in |
| Auto shop or service company | Work shirts with name patches, plus matching caps and jackets |
| Events and booths | Bright, matching T-shirts so customers can find your people fast |
If you do one extra thing, stitch each person’s first name on the chest. It costs a little more. It’s worth every penny. “Thanks, Danny.” “Can I ask for Maria next time?”
Do this today
- 1
Pull out the last shirt you ordered with your name on it.
- 2
Ask yourself: would I wear this to dinner on Saturday?
- 3
Take a photo of your team the way they look today.
- 4
Write down who needs what, and how many, so everybody always has a clean one.
If your people would wear it off the clock, you got it right. Make the next order one they would.
Stolen from the masters · Leo Burnett
Leo Burnett ran one of the most famous ad agencies in Chicago. His agency created the Jolly Green Giant and Tony the Tiger. He understood that people remember what they can see, the same way, every single time. His advice for ads was short:
“Make it simple. Make it memorable.”
A small, clean logo on a shirt people love is simple. Worn every Saturday, it’s memorable.
From the book
Chapter 20: Dress the Part
Starts on page 179. The whole chapter, plus 250+ ways to market your business, in the free book.
Download the free bookIdeas that fix it
Shirts people actually wear.
Idea 170 · book page 346Premium T-Shirts$8–$20 eachSoft shirts get worn on weekends, not just at work.
Idea 184 · book page 353Polo Shirts$12–$30 eachPolished uniforms and golf gifts.
Idea 194 · book page 358Hoodies$20–$55 eachOne of the most-worn items anyone owns.
Idea 172 · book page 347Baseball Caps$8–$25 eachWorn outdoors right at eye level.
Idea 199 · book page 361Quarter-Zip Pullovers$25–$60 eachPolished and worn often.
Idea 186 · book page 354Aprons$15–$40 eachA uniform and an ad in one.Want a plan for apparel people actually wear?
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