Bleach Anime Shirt – A Medium of Self Expression
BLEACH is a Japanese anime or manga TV series that was produced by Studio Pierrot and directed by Noriyuki Abe. It aired on TV Tokyo for 8 years (October 2004-March 2012) and it had 366 episodes. The series is all about the adventures of Ichigo Kurosaki who obtained the super powers of a Soul Reaper from Rukia Kuchiki who was also a Soul Reaper.
With this power that he acquired, he started defending people from bad/evil spirits and guiding the souls of those who died to the afterlife. This series is quite famous and deservingly so because it brilliantly combines the supernatural with some action, romance and comedy. The animation was excellent and the voice actors enthusiastic! You can visit https://en.wikipedia.org/ for more details on this TV series.
In this article, we will discuss briefly about the merchandise also known as merch of this series and how it affects its popularity and also other factors about merchandise.
Significance of Merchandise to a Brand
In discussing the merch of the BLEACH series, we will look at the significance of merchandise to brands in general. This will help you see how much impact any form of merchandise can have on a brand.
Brand Awareness
You may think that a brand is well known; wait until a good number of people start wearing their branded T-shirts, baseball caps, sun hats, arm bands and the likes. You will be amazed at the level of awareness that these items will create. As you will agree with us, people can be influenced by images that are constantly kept before their eyes; that is why companies run adverts on TV and those who are able to afford it always go for programs with high viewership and that are aired regularly.
So like the Bleach anime series that is quite popular among a particular demography, more awareness is created with official merch for the series.
Brand Loyalty
Following from the point discussed above, these merch help to create a sense of belonging in the fans. Imagine football fans that even go as far as personalizing the official merch of their favourite club; these are usually the diehard fans that stay with the club through winning and losing seasons. These types of fans would constantly tell people that there club will do well the next season whenever they lose.
Diehard fans are found not only in football but in other sports and passions. There are diehard fans of singers, actors, arts/artists or even TV shows and series. Sometimes promoters of these celebrities would produce official merchandise and give away to their fans. This further makes the fans feel ‘seen’ and appreciated by their idol. For a TV series such as BLEACH, a Bleach anime shirt is like a badge of honour to the fans.
With the way the fans adore this series, any one of them that receives any official merch will remain a fan forever.
Revenue Generation
In this early days of promotional materials which is what merchandise is, promoters where not focused on these items are money makers. But as time went on, it became obvious that these items are actually great sources of revenue for the brand. Think of how fans are usually eager to lay hands on the official merch of their faves once it is announced.
Some people are willing to pay what they consider reasonable amounts to get these memorabilia while some others see them as collectible items and will pay substantial amounts to have them. Whatever the driving motivation, the brand makes money from selling these items.
Emotional Connection
Fan clubs or groups are created by people who have like passions. For example, the BLEACH TV series has a fan club or at least a fan base and they are all over the world. Most often, these groups interact virtually. Sometimes those who stay in the same locality may decide to meet physically but that is not something that happens often.
One way therefore of creating connection between members of these fan groups is through official merchandise. These merchandises can be gotten online all thanks to technology. The emotional connection that these items create among the fans can be seen in the joy and pride with which the fans wear these items.
Personalization of Merch
Personalizing the official merch of a brand is one way of expressing your personal style. Some people may love the hoodie of a brand, while others may prefer the Tees or the baseball caps. That is why some brands make allowance for their fans/customers to personalize their merchandise. The most common example of this is football clubs.
You must have noticed that during football season diehard fans love to wear the jersey of the club they follow. Some even go as far as having their names or some personal symbols engraved on it. This is a sure form of displaying loyalty and support for the club. Read this article for tips on how to generate brand loyalty.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that official merchandise for brands whether corporate or private have come to stay! So if you are a fan who wants to go beyond admiration to contributing to the growth and popularity of your fave, you can do so by buying their official merch. Promoters, managers or marketers who are serious about promoting their brand must leverage on the significance of these items and get them into the hands of as many people as possible.