We want to address fan fatigue with regard to campaigns, and where Stands stands on that.
When we work with a cast, we leave the door open for everyone to have a voice and we actively encourage cause marketing. That means when we work with an ensemble cast, there could be 15 actors who would like to participate, but only 12 months in the year (usually). We are never going to say "no, your voice is not important enough to make the cut." It's just not in our DNA. Additionally, we have a handful of competitive merchandisers out there, and none of them are sharing their business plans with us. That means there's often overlap, and as the buyer, you see a double-up or too rapid a succession of offerings. It's super frustrating, and it leads to buyer fatigue.
From us here at Stands, and on behalf of the talent we work with, we want you to know this: we do not expect you to buy every single item available. No retailer expects that.
Think of it like shopping anywhere else. Please consider:
1. Do I like this design? Not every human likes a good burnt orange or a radioactive lime green. That's just a fact. Ask yourself: is this an item I'll feel good wearing? Each of us reserves the right to decorate our meatsuit in a way that makes us happy.
2. Does this cause appeal to me? Oddly, some people don't care about preserving the Hissing Stinkbug's natural environment, and you're allowed to be one of them. Chances are something you DO feel passionate about will be along shortly enough and it's perfectly OK to wait.
3. Do I have the disposable income for this specific thing, at this specific time? While it's probably possible to eat t-shirts, we strongly suggest letting food money be food money before it is t-shirt money. Because if we have to cook for you, no one is going to like it. Take that at face value. (Shirt..value..?)
Sometimes we see people feeling troubled that they feel unmoved by a campaign, and that's okay. Not every project is designed to appeal to every person. This family is huge, different messages are going to resonate with different people and different interests.
On the other side of that, we sometimes see people feeling helpless to make an impact in support of a cause or actor that does very much inspire them. There are ways to do that don't require money, and their impact is as real as the dollars or t-shirts in question. Even just boosting the cause with RTs makes an important difference. Learn about your fave's charity of choice, talk about it with your friends. Ask the actors questions. They want to share this thing they love.
You haven't disappointed us yet. You can't.
Finally - it's important to note that we are single now and will be seeing other fandoms. It does not* mean we love you less. Just branching out. Growing, even. So look forward to even more variety, and lend us your support when it feels right.
Over N Out,
Shirts
*....unless it's Chris Pine's fandom in which case we want one of those freebie pass things. You understand.
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