Paint Shirts or High ROI Billboards? T-Shirt Best Practices Part 1
Step One – Knowing the Ins and Outs of T-Shirts
100% Cotton, Cotton/Poly Blends, 100% Poly – Is there a preference?
- In admissions, 100% Cotton is most cost effective
- With the ‘correct’ fabric features they each can be excellent billboards
- Bottom line, it's personal preference vs. budget
T-shirt Fabric – What am I looking for?
- Avoid basic cotton. It will not be a favorite but will be worn infrequently.
- The ONLY t-shirts that are great billboards are SOFT ones!
- Introductory level phrase for soft is “Ringspun Cotton”
- Intermediate level phrase for soft is “Combed Ringspun Cotton”
- Advanced level phrase for soft is “Combed Ringspun Cotton – 30 Singles”
- We highly recommend the last two for High ROI Billboards
T-shirt weight – What does that matter?
- Majority of superior SOFT t-shirts are 4.3 oz.
- A few soft t-shirts are 5.3 oz.
- Only 1 soft shirt currently is at 6.1 oz. - the Gildan Hammer
- Bottom line: Weight is a personal preference, but teens generally prefer light-weight t-shirts.
Brand - How important is it?
- The most important factor in frequent use is SOFTNESS.
- Surveys have shown 3-5 t-shirts are worn ‘frequently”. The rest stay in the drawer, and the key is softness regardless of brand.
- Quality off-brands offer the ‘same feel’ at a lower cost which is critical in admissions.
Top Picks- Which t-shirts are recommended for admissions?
- Tier 1 (Advanced) – Anvil 980, District 6000, Tultex 241, Gildan Hammer
- Tier 2 (Intermediate) – Anvil 780
- Tier 3 (Introductory) – Gildan Softstyle
- Bottom line - for a High ROI Billboard, it is highly recommended to stick with Tier 1 or Tier 2.
- Tier 1 and Tier 2 shirts do go on special - especially in the Spring. Your provider should be watching for these specials for you!
In our next blog:
Step 2 - Knowing the Ins and Outs of T-Shirt Decoration