Should I sell merchandise like calendars, coasters, and puzzles, or will that cheapen my fine art brand?

Yes, sell merchandise. The concern that merch will devalue your fine art is a common misconception. Name a museum without a gift shop or a concert without merchandise—successful creatives understand merchandise is essential. There are only two types of creatives: those who figured out the importance of merchandise and those who haven’t. Merchandise serves as year-round marketing—a calendar on someone’s wall is like a Facebook ad bolted to their wall 365 days a year, keeping you top-of-mind. These are impulse items, gift items, and don’t require empty wall space, so people can buy from you the first day they find you. Successful artists added 10-20% revenue in one quarter just from calendars. You can offer high-quality, fine-art versions of these items. Most importantly, merchandise is marketing, not just revenue—it keeps you in front of potential collectors until they’re ready to buy wall art.

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Asked by general teaching · Answered by Patrick Shanahan and Nick Friend · art-marketing-podcast · 2022-01-08