On the UK tour, it seemed that much of the merch was the same as the US fall and, even, the US spring tour. Yes, there is now a couple of new Girl Panic shirts and some more bags to purchase. There is also a hoody that features the logo from the first album. Rhonda was very tempted to buy that one but hoodies are expensive and take up a lot of room in the suitcase! Oh, I guess I’m forgetting the new Save a Prayer t-shirts which shows the single cover. The rest, though, was exactly the same. Thus, none of the new stuff tempted me to buy. I was so hoping that the t-shirts, at least one of them, would have the UK tour dates listed. Heck, I would have been thrilled if it just said UK Tour on the back. Is that too much to ask? Apparently, it is! The bags seemed nice but I have a ton! They have to be something different, something special to get me to buy. This, of course, leads me to wonder why there isn’t more creativity with the merchandise.
Rhonda and I, in our “we have a billion hours to kill” moments, came up with a list of possible merchandise ideas. Some of these ideas are better than others. Nonetheless, we were able to brainstorm the following list in just a short time, which shows that it is not challenging to expand the options of items to purchase. Here is our list: One Duran Christmas ornament per year that is dated (could come with a stand, too), shot glasses!, license plate frames (maybe with rhinestones!), earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings, shoelaces, scarves, throw blankets, snuggies with the guy of your choice!, travel mugs, martini or margarita glasses, wine charms, pens or pencils, shower curtains, toothbrush, travel kits, bathrobes, pajama bottoms, iPad and iPhone covers, and water bottles. What do you think of these ideas?
Many of the ideas that we came up with are ones that we would actually like! My favorite items include the Christmas ornaments, shotglasses, necklaces, shoelaces, blankets, travel kits, iPad and iPhone covers and pajamas. I like the idea of having the merch reflect the Duranie lifestyle, which in my head does include travel, being connected online and partying. I would think the hard part of the merchandise would be designing logos. Once that is done, I bet that they could use the same logo(s) on different items. I would be okay with that. I would still have something I want/need that represents my favorite band. It would be a win-win situation.
Of course, this leads me to wonder why they aren’t more creative with the items they sell. Why do you think that is? Not enough time to focus on it? Not enough people to work on it? Are they going for the cheapest, most common items? By the way, in case Duran or their people are reading this, Rhonda and I would be happy to work on this for you. You can contact us by email at dailyduranie@gmail.com. Thanks! In all seriousness, readers, what kind of merchandise would you like? Do you have other ideas that can be added to our list?
-A
I was also disappointed with the UK merchandise. So much of it is available in the online shop. I was also hoping to get something specific just for the UK shows. I wonder why they didn't even have a t-shirt with the dates on? Or was it scrapped because of the uncertainty? Who knows. I think you can go overkill on merchandise. Or can you? LOL! I love the idea of a Christmas ornament.
I think the issue of cost and portability may determine the type of merchandise the band may use on tour. Keychains are small, T-shirts are light, tourbooks are practical souvenirs. I can't imagine them trucking around with thousands of shotglasses, mugs or anything else that's easily breakable. That kind of stuff can be sold online and delivered properly to the customer's door.
Aside from those factors, I don't find anything wrong with your ideas. If someone created a Duran Duran board game, then what's so silly about making a bathrobe with a DD logo on it? *shrug* Everyone has their own taste and will buy whatever item accordingly. I especially liked the following ideas: Christmas ornaments, cell phone/tablet skins, and jewellery. I can't always pour into a T-shirt because of fluctuating weight issues (*ahem*) but I can use stuff like scarves, earrings or blankets regardless of my size.
It's a bit of a fantasy choice but I'd love for them to sell stylish leather bags (not a sports bag!) or snowglobes. Whatever the product line, it has to be classy, useful and catering to a wide price range. Nothing cheesy like a Hawaiian doll doing the hula while “Rio” is playing in the background (yeah, you all know about those annoying trinkets they sell at flea markets and the like. Ugh!).
@shigatsuhana-I, too, wonder if they didn't have shirts with the dates on them because of having to cancel the first set of dates. Didn't want have more problems later.
@madame duran-I agree that what they sell on tour should be light and easy to carry. This is part of my problem with the current tour book. Its size is a problem! Love your ideas, though!
-A