Company Sweat Shirts Can Warm You Up with Advertising

Corporate apparel is growing in its importance to the corporate culture. Most employees need to feel a part of the team in order to stay with a company for an extended period of time.  With the best employees jumping from job to job every couple of years, employee retention and the associated cost of turnover are becoming major concerns for companies in all industries.  Most human resource managers can’t understand why employees leave for jobs that may not pay more money. A lot has to do with career path and work environment, but part has to do with feeling a part of the corporate culture. That is where corporate apparel comes back into play.  Many employees went to college or played sports or belonged to clubs in school. Corporate apparel designed like team or school apparel can communicate that sense of belonging missing from the corporate culture. No piece of apparel communicates this message better than corporate sweat shirts.

To keep with the collegiate or athletic theme, company sweat shirts should be designed with the same design elements in mind. Large colorful logos should adorn the front chest of the shirt along with art work that has a fresh youthful look to it. Perhaps incorporating the look of the CEO’s alma mater would be a nice touch.  You could personalize the shirt with the employee’s name on the back or perhaps a slogan that the company uses.  The cost of these shirts could be significant, but if you are trying to create a sense of belonging you should communicate that this company is something worth belonging to.

Company sweat shirts can be changed to fit different campaigns over the years, as well.  There may be a corporate theme each year or sales session around communication, or value, or customer service. The shirt front could remain the same while the back is changed to reflect the new theme. This will significantly add to costs, but may be worth it to send the right message. Keeping the employee feeling and thinking fresh is valuable to a company as it affects morale and performance.  It never hurts to remind employees how much they are valued. Investing in their look is one way to remind them that you are investing in them.

Any company sweat shirts need to be high quality. You never want the employee or the customer who sees them to think you did the minimum for the employee. The impression will be that you will do the minimum for the customer, as well. The shirts will be worn more than once and have to stand up to washing and drying. No one wants to look at accompany logo that is cracked and faded or placed on a shirt that shrunk two sizes in the dryer.

Finally, company sweat shirts could also serve as an incentive for improved performance. Perhaps, instead of giving them out to everyone, they should be used as awards for reaching sales or customer service milestones.  This system could cut down on costs while still building morale and a sense of belonging.