And unless you have been living under a rock for like forever, you would have noticed that almost every T-shirt has got a message and that several brands have used these messages to stir controversy, in a bid to pull the attention of the media and therefore the public to the their brand or cause. Additionally every major brand that is worth its name has at some point or another employed promotional clothing in its marketing arsenal. This must mean or rather point to its marketing prowess.

Promotional clothing usually bears the colours, logos or names of the business, brand or product they promote. Promotional clothing may include, t-shirts, jackets, fleeces, polo shirts, hats/caps, underwear's, bags and umbrellas.

With this in mind, let's analyse its overall effects and how promotional clothing stands in a promotion strategy.

Broad Appeal:

Promotional clothing has a broad appeal due to the necessity of clothing to people in general. And given the fact well designed and stylish apparel with the companies name or logo will be appreciated and accepted by many people. People can wear promotional clothing at home, in the streets, on holidays and basically anywhere and anytime they feel like it. Any clothing that is chic and attractive is bound to draw attention to itself when worn. And since this raises and increases the visibility or awareness of the brand, it definitely has a positive effect on the general promotional strategy.

Folk Appeal:

The effectiveness of promotional clothing in regard to the overall marketing strategy of a company has to do with the process of distribution. Regardless of the size of corporation, if it is spread wide by its workers, shareholders, customers and prospective customers the effectiveness is bound to be more.

The process of giving people these clothing not only promotes the brand as one that cares for the people but it lures prospective customers and those who may not know about the company or their products to take notice. And also everybody who collects and ends up wearing that piece of clothing is basically a promoter or a human billboard: carrying the brand name and logo wherever they go. Again this contributes and compliments to the marketing strategy of the brand.

Long Lasting Investment:

Long lasting promotional investment of the brand and product if the materials used are of the highest quality and the designs classic. It's a common fact that people draw sentiments and place value to clothing and things in general that are long lasting. You might have clothes in your closets that have served you for years and if they were promotional clothing for any brand and company they would have consistently spread word of the company through the years you had them. Given this fact, the longevity of promotional clothing in marketing a brand or product cannot be underestimated.

Versatility and Variety:

The genius of promotional clothing is the fact that through all seasons it can be employed and yields effective results when done rightly. There are different types of clothing designed for different seasons; brands have been known to have made promotional clothing specifically for each season. E.g. Jackets for autumn and light shirts for those warm summer days. As diverse as people are, so are their tastes in colours and styles, so promotional clothing with a variety that reaches people of diverse backgrounds, tastes and sizes is always a winner.

Having a company's brand name or logo worn all year round is certainly something to be desired by marketers. And if you compare the costs it would take to produce theses clothing and the longevity it has, with the amount of people it reaches in direct comparison to other marketing and advertising platforms like media advertising,it is definitely worth it.