Strategy May 04, 2022
Chapter 2: Next Level Apparel’s Brand Elevation - A Recalibrated Brand Story
The wait is over! We covered Chapter One of Next Level Apparel’s (asi/73867) Brand Elevation back in March. Now, we’re back to continue the story behind the evolution of the beloved supplier’s brand.
NLA made their mark as a blank apparel pioneer in the promotional products industry by answering their customers’ call for a great sublimated T-shirt. The company’s passion for exceptional craftsmanship catalyzed the development of more styles and ultimately formed the Next Level Apparel® brand – putting the customer first, always, and in all ways.
This message is carried through into the company’s tagline, “Ready to Inspire™”: a commitment to finding new ways to make it easier for customers to keep their shelves fully stocked with thoughtfully designed premium blank apparel that offers exceptional printability.
In today’s world of overstimulation through social and digital media, NLA recognizes the need for simplification and the value of focusing on quality versus quantity when it comes to their marketing efforts.
“We’d rather do fewer things exceptionally well than oversaturate the digital world with marketing chatter, so that we can focus on our customers’ needs and help them to successfully grow their businesses and continue to be profitable,” stated Peggy Schulz, VP of Marketing at NLA. “We know that our customers are hard-working, busy people, so we’re relentless in discovering new ways to provide them with the best service, digital assets and tools to help them promote NLA’s premium blank apparel.”
Schulz goes on to say, “One of the things I think we do exceptionally well is pivot our areas of focus to partner with our customers, not only in marketing, but cross-functionally amongst product design, material sourcing, production and distribution. Staying nimble and focused on their needs over ours, we’re able to live up to our brand name – Next Level Apparel.”
NLA believes that staying authentic to their brand allows them to tell a story that focuses on product and customer needs, build connections between the product, customers and communities and, most importantly, inspire others to create using NLA apparel.
In case you haven’t noticed, the NLA brand logo has also recently received a subtle refresh. This too is part of the visual elevation process. Stay tuned, as the rest of the story is yet to unfold!