T-shirt-based marketing platform matches brands with target demographic groups

Shirts on peoples’ backs have long been used as advertising billboards, according to East Longmeadow based Custom Identity Apparel. But the company is now turning the garments into a marketing platform said to create an emotional bond with consumers by combining demographic targeting, group sponsorships interactivity. CIA matches brands with groups, such as college organizations and youth sports leagues looking for sponsors to cut the costs of custom apparel. The brand receives premium real estate on the shirt to publicize its service or product, and the buyer, grateful for the price break, becomes a brand ambassador.

Brands can also include a unique URL inviting consumers to send text messages to receive special offers or visit a campaign website, reportedly enabling T-shirts to serve as interactive mobile marketing vehicles with potential viral reach.

Initially, CIA is offering test programs to brands interested in tapping into the college market, leveraging the established campus relationships . Brands can place messaging on custom garments purchased by campus organizations in return for Co Op Monies from their advertising budget that lower the group’s price per unit.

Also which is unique is now bar code style Graphics imprinted on the apparel which can be turned into a information and web link simply by taking a picture of that shirt from your phone which saves all information on that company or promotion.

For more information please contact us at 413.525.4088 Ask for Pete Silvano

For placket shirts, moisture-wicking and anti-microbial properties are important performance characteristics. Moisture-wicking is the most predominant, but anti-microbial is gaining in popularity. Photo courtesy of CIA

From moisture-wicking, anti-microbial, and solar protection to stain-resistant and wrinkle-free characteristics, performance features have become something of a must-have for certain markets during the past few years. In most cases, the cost of these garments is dramatically higher than a non-performance style, so here we are able to educate our customers on what they’re getting for that higher price tag. Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions you may hear.

Q: What’s happening with sales of performancewear styles? Is this category still as popular as it has been in recent years?
A: Absolutely. In fact, sales are up dramatically, partly because of the success of retail brands like Nike, Reebok, and adidas. It has become almost a requirement that if you’re making T-shirt or placket shirt with polyester content, it must have moisture-wicking features.

The next trend you’ll see is for all garments to have anti-microbial or UV protection. These kinds of features previously were specialized, but buyers are getting more sophisticated and costs are decreasing. Under Armour pioneered the moisture-wicking characteristic and that really drove a lot of demand. It’s what professional athletes wear, and it has trickled down to amateurs and youth.

For placket shirts, it’s moisture wicking, anti-microbial and — in a distant third — UV protection. For woven shirts, especially those used for uniforms, it’s wrinkle resistance, then stain resistance.

Polyester had a bad reputation back in the 1970s. There was a perception that it could catch on fire, would make you smell bad and didn’t breathe. Today’s polyester fabrics have resolved all those issues, and the anti-microbial property is really a response to corporate America wanting to wear them to work. The Professional Golf Association (PGA) has had an influence and many of the top designers developed placket shirts that are acceptable for the office and the golf course.

Q: What makes a shirt anti-microbial?
A: It’s a treatment, but it is more tested than any other performance characteristic. To qualify, it has to kill up to 20 types of bacteria. Treated fabric is put in a Petri dish and exposed to the different types of bacteria and then observed over a period of time.

Stain resistance means there’s a treatment of Scotchguard or Teflon; you can practically dump a bottle of ketchup on it and not get a stain. The mess will bead up and not penetrate the yarn. You’re seeing this more and more in wovens for workwear.

We have found the biggest users/customers for performance T-shirts?
For a lot of schools and teams, it’s their bread and butter. Some of the more interesting users include the military, construction workers and road crews, as well as the restaurant and service industries.

Certain markets demand performance placket shirts vs. non-performance styles.
For example, golf customers must have moisture-wicking apparel; likewise with resortwear. Restaurants dabble with performancewear, but they’re still happy with a 60/40 blend because they’re more cost-driven. People who participate in outdoor sports, such as hunting and fishing, are big users of moisture-wicking garments, and this market also demands UV protection, as they are in the sun all day.

For More information on Performance products please visit us at

www.customidentityapparel.com or you call us at 413.525.4088

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Any questions call us at 800.207.7713 or you can email us at sales@customidentityapparel.com