Overview
Ten years ago I walked into a concert and completely misread the room. That misread became Sunday. My co-founder, then known as DJ Audiophonic, had made merch for his fans: bright, bold T-shirts. When I showed up that night, it looked like DJ Audiophonic was the most famous DJ at the concert. He wasn’t (sorry, Steven), but his merch made his brand seem bigger, like something worth being part of. That moment led to Steven and I founding Sunday. We've spent ten years building a platform that empowers brands to use merch strategically, cost-effectively, and with the same rigour they bring to any other marketing channel. Today we work with companies like Google, HubSpot, Deel, Zalando, and Booking.com. Brands that invest just as intentionally in merch as they do in any other part of their marketing mix. If you're thinking about how to maximize your merch ROI, let’s connect.
Career history
In the news
- Merch Review #38: Liebherr Group Industrial companies have a huge opportunity with apparel. Because too often, corporate clothing means taking a standard jacket and adding a logo. Liebherr went further. Their unisex rain jacket uses the company colors and visual identity to create something that actually feels designed around the brand. Product: 8.1/10 Branding: 8.3/10 Activation: 7.5/10 Final Merch Review Score: 7.96/10. The product itself isn't revolutionary. But that's also the lesson: you don't always need a crazy product.
- Merch Review #37: Datadog This is a nice example of merch creating an emotional connection beyond the person who works at the company. Datadog turned Bits, its mascot, into a hooded bath towel for kids. It’s playful, completely on-brand and particularly relevant for employees becoming parents. And I think there’s an even bigger opportunity here: Don’t just sell it. Send it automatically to every employee who has a baby. Suddenly, a relatively simple merch product becomes part of an important moment in someone’s life. Product:
- Merch Review #36: Caterpillar Inc. Sometimes you don’t need a unique product. You need a unique version of a normal product. Caterpillar took a standard tumbler and designed it to look like one of its oil filters. The tumbler itself isn't particularly innovative. But the design creates an immediate connection between the merch and Caterpillar’s world. That’s what makes it work. Product: 8.3/10 Branding: 8.8/10 Activation: 7.5/10 Final Merch Review Score: 8.2/10. I think there’s still a big activation opportunity here with
- Merch Review #34: GitHub Tech companies make a LOT of T-shirts. GitHub decided to make a Hawaiian shirt instead. Covered in its iconic mascot, with matching swim shorts to complete the collection. And that element of surprise is exactly what makes it work. Great merch doesn’t have to be the obvious product choice. Sometimes going one step beyond what people expect is what turns a normal branded product into something memorable. Product: 8.5/10 Branding: 9.0/10 Activation: 7.5/10 Final Merch Review Score: 8.33/10. I’d love to see
- Merch Review #33: John Deere x the LEGO Group This is merch playing the long game. John Deere partnered with LEGO to turn one of its machines into a LEGO Technic set. It’s a great product for existing fans. But the more interesting part is what it does for the next generation. Kids can start building a relationship with John Deere years before they could ever become customers. And by partnering with LEGO, John Deere gets distribution and exposure far beyond its traditional audience. Product: 8.8/10 Branding: 8.6/10 Activation:
- Merch Review #32: Discord Discord created a branded Stream Deck with quick key binds for streamers. And this is another great example of starting with your audience, not with a merch catalogue. Discord knows a significant part of its community lives around gaming and streaming. So instead of making another generic tech accessory, they created something directly connected to what that audience does every day. Product: 9.1/10 Branding: 8.9/10 Activation: 7.5/10 Final Merch Review Score: 8.5/10. My only criticism: the activation
- Merch Review #31: JAJA Spirits Tequila This is a great example of how a small product decision can make merch much more relevant. JAJA could have created another branded tumbler. Instead, they created a Margarita Tumbler. Same general product category, but suddenly it has a direct connection to the brand, the product and the occasion where people actually consume it. That’s good merch thinking. Product: 9.2/10 Branding: 8.9/10 Activation: 7.5/10 Final Merch Review Score: 8.53/10. The activation could go further, but the
- Merch Review #30: Palantir Technologies Palantir created its own Tennis Club capsule collection. And there’s a good merch lesson in here: You don’t need 20 unrelated products. Build a collection around one idea. Palantir has multiple pieces that all fit the same tennis-club theme, and they release them through drops rather than simply putting everything in a permanent merch store. I think they could have pushed the designs further, but the concept works. Product: 7.9/10 Branding: 7.8/10 Activation: 7.9/10 Final Merch Review Score:
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