Jul 13, 2017

Icebox Hats Are Turning Heads Everywhere!

Promoting Your Brand Head First: Fast Facts About Branded Headwear

Beanies. Lids. Caps. Hats.

Everyone is familiar with headwear—and for good reason. Hats are wardrobe staples. If you have ever played a sport or been a fan of a sports team, you have a hat to prove it. If you’ve ever lived in cold weather, you own some form of weatherproof headgear. Hats are often essential uniform pieces, especially in the food industry, and—outside of traditional business settings—stylish hats can take any outfit up a notch.

Hats are as versatile as tees when it comes to promotional decoration, but not everyone takes advantage of all the different options that exist in the headwear space. 59% percent of U.S. consumers say they keep branded hats when they receive them. 42% do so because they are attractive.

If you’re looking to target high earners, a hat is a great way to do it. 27% of people who earn more than $100,000 per year wear a branded hat, and this demographic is the most likely to wear your promotional headwear. Branded hats have traditionally been more popular with men than women, but with the rise of athleisure, we’re seeing more a lot interest from women who participate in this “comfy/casual” trend. The key is selecting styles and colors that give your promotional headpiece a fashionable, retail-inspired look.

Headwear styles vary by use and type. Tried and true colors are black and navy, but bright and neon colors can add a fashion-forward element that recipients will gravitate to. Flat bills, like the ones worn by major league baseball players, are also very popular. For beanies and knit caps, a major trend right now is a large pom-pom adorning the top of the head.

If you plan well enough ahead to have your headwear produced overseas, you seriously expand the possibilities. You can design your own custom headwear and take advantage of many more decoration options, as the printing or embroidery is applied to flat panels as opposed to a finished cap.

When a hat is beloved by its recipient, it’s essentially a walking billboard. Unlike a tee, it can literally be worn every day—some people wear their favorite hat 100 hours per week. The average number of impressions that a branded cap makes over its lifetime in the U.S. is 3,161. That’s a significant return on investment!

The creative experts at The Icebox are hat fanatics. In fact, Icebox CSO (Chief Swag Officer) Scott went on the record for this blog post, exclaiming, “I love hats!” He elaborated further by saying, “A hat is my favorite promo product. In addition to having endless bells and whistles, there is something simple about a hat. Maybe it's that there are no sizes, which make it an easier inventory item to manage.”

We’re here to help ensure you get the most from your branded headwear and have access to all the latest styles and decoration options available on the market. We know cool—so contact us when you’re ready to order some hats!