From slogans to sales

Brought to t-shirt aficionados by the makers of Threadless, the website that lets its members choose which customer-designed t-shirts should be printed, OMG Clothing turns the model upside down. Instead of submitting ready-to-go illustrations, members submit slogans such as ‘Squirrels Are Nature’s Ninjas’. The website’s other members then rate the slogans (either ‘OMG…. that’s stupid’ or ‘I’d wear this’), and the winning slogans are translated into t-shirt designs by OMG’s pick of graphic artists. So far, over 105,440 slogans have been submitted. Of course, the customer-made, customer-voted model works best for commodity-like products that can be easily manufactured in new runs at little extra cost. So, get creative and find your own alternative for t-shirts. Slogans for bumper stickers? Patterns for ties? No, wait, Naked & Angry already does those… How about customer-designed patterns for headscarves, for the Muslim market? Whatever you do, embrace the fact that your most valued customer is also willing to be your Chief Creative Officer. And don’t forget to reward them accordingly! OMG slogan winners receive USD 100 cash and a USD 100 gift certificate for coming up with the idea.