Spotlight On Stran
Stran-ded at Sea, Happily⚓
In September, our team welcomed clients, partners, and friends to our new headquarters in Marina Bay for Stran-ded at Sea, our annual open house.
Over two nights, the office on the water turned into a panel stage, a product showroom, and a yacht rock party. It was the first big event in the new space, and our crew went all in on the theme.
Click the + to relive Stran-ded at Sea👇
Stran-ded at Sea came together because of our team, who planned two full nights of events and committed fully to the yacht rock spirit.
On Wednesday, Stran's Women on the Rise hosted the panel "Stop Apologizing for the Seat You've Already Earned," focused on women in the workplace. Marie Capone of Goodwin Procter, Shannon Vogt of Phillips 66, Kathleen Vadenais of Fidelity Investments, and Addison Wilczak of Ignite shared their experiences and advice, followed by a networking reception overlooking the harbor.
Thursday brought the party. After touring the new office, guests headed to Siros for the Merch Marina, where 15+ supplier partners showcased their newest lines. Getting products into people's hands is one of the most useful things we can do for our clients, and the night gave everyone that chance. Live music, a DJ, games, and a raffle carried the rest of the evening.
Thank you to everyone who came aboard, to our supplier partners, and to the Stran crew who made both nights happen. We're already looking forward to the next voyage.
Product Picks:
Ready for Fall, Inside and Out🍂
October brings cooler mornings and earlier sunsets, and the products people reach for start to change with them.
This month's picks cover both halves of a fall day. A lightweight insulated layer handles the chilly commute, and a desk companion keeps devices charged and the workspace lit once the daylight fades.
Click the + to see the picks! 👇
Marmot PrimaLoft® Evolve Aerothermal Hoody
Fall mornings can start cold and warm up fast, and the Aerothermal Hoody is designed for exactly that kind of day.
Its PrimaLoft® Active Evolve insulation has the soft feel of high-loft fleece and breathes well, so it regulates temperature as you move. A 100% recycled polyester ripstop shell adds lightweight durability, and raglan sleeves with stretch give it a full range of motion. Two zippered hand pockets hold a phone and keys. It's comfortable on the trail, on the commute, or as an everyday layer at the office.
Origaudio Collective 5-in-1 Wireless Speaker & Charger
As the days get shorter, the desk becomes home base. The Collective combines a 5W wireless speaker with magnetic wireless charging for a phone, earbuds, and a watch.
It also adds warm ambient lighting up to 400 lumens. The speaker runs 4 to 6 hours per charge, and all five functions fit in one compact footprint. Full-color decoration goes on the magnetic charging plate, so your logo sits right where people set their phone down each day.
Made for the Season
Together, these picks pair well in fall gifting, onboarding kits, or a client thank-you. Both are products people will reach for daily as the weather turns.
Industry News
The Brands People Want to Belong To 🤝
Brands are paying closer attention to the communities their audiences belong to, and merch is playing a bigger role in how they connect with those communities.
Recent insights from PPAI and ASI points to the same shift. The companies getting the most out of merch use it to show who they are and to give people something to be part of.
Click the + to explore how merch is becoming part of the culture 👇
People today follow their own mix of interests, creators, and fan communities, and PPAI's latest coverage shows brands spending more time learning about those groups. Run clubs, pickleball players, sports fans, and book communities each care about different things. Demographics tell you who your audience is, and understanding their culture shows you which products they'll keep using. The same goes inside an organization, where smaller programs tailored to specific teams often create stronger connections than one broad order.
ASI is seeing more brands borrow from the lifestyle brand playbook, using merch to express their identity and planning it earlier, sometimes as part of a launch. That raises the bar. People compare branded products to what they buy at retail, and limited drops tied to company moments give them a reason to come back. For Delta's 100th anniversary, custom Nike sneakers made for employees drew over 17,000 orders, far past the roughly 500 expected.
Both trends lead to the same takeaway. Merch works best when it reflects the people receiving it and the brand has a clear reason for creating it. Emotional connection, function, and quality all shape how people respond to branded products. Starting with the audience and the purpose behind the program leads to merch people keep and feel connected to.
From The Blog
Pink With A Purpose
October brings donors, volunteers, and fundraisers together in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In our latest blog, we share ways nonprofits can use purposeful merch to encourage giving, thank the people driving their campaigns, and keep the cause visible all year long.
