CASE STUDY: Loews Hotel Private Label Retail Program

By Dean Schwartz (SWAG Master): A little while back, the SOBO Concepts team began to do some projects for the PR department at the prestigious Miami Beach Loews Hotel. Not long after, we were referred to the retail manager of the hotel for an even greater task…

Case Study: Loews Hotel Private Label Retail Program

THE CHALLENGE

The challenge was no small request. We were asked to recreate ALL of the hotel’s logo-branded items. And if you know anything about our SOBO SWAG team, you know that is exactly the type of thing that gets our blood flowing. And it sure did!

THE SOLUTION

Most of the t-shirts we designed for use were super soft; the classic ‘feels like it’s your favorite t-shirt from the first time you wear it’ type of fabric. Specifically, these were tri-blend t-shirts; a mix of polyester, cotton, and rayon.

We played around with different labels for the hotel’s home on the beach to see which would be most appealing; you know – SOBE, South Beach or Miami Beach.

In addition to the t-shirts for men, ladies, and kids, the collection also consisted of UV protection shirts, zip-up hoodies for kids, flip flops, a notebook, and pen combo and everyone’s favorite beach buddy – a waterproof phone case. All branded. All Loews. And frankly, all really cool.

To appeal to kids we felt more was needed than just a basic graphic. Kids won’t lose sleep over the difference between SOBE or South Beach, but they would go crazy over some cool mascots, right? So we created cartoonish, fun alligator and flamingo mascots (still to be named) and branded some products with those mascots, too.

But Wait…There’s More!

Was that all? Of course not! You see, we wanted to tie the shop into the local Miami art community and used a photographer friend of ours, Yuri Tuma – whose works sell in galleries for $1,000s – to photograph the hotel and then convert that photograph into flip flops and notebooks.

THE RESULTS

Ultimately, we helped Loews add a whole lot of unique custom SWAG! Building a private label brand is a trial and error process and it takes time. In this case, we were lucky to work with a great buyer and retail manager who’s willing to test and take chances (big shout out to Jody!).

Most of what we do is develop products for companies and brands to give-a-way to their employees or customers. Creating products that actually sell and make money for our customers was an entirely new endeavor, but we loved the challenge. Next time you’re in Miami Beach stop by the Loews Hotel, check out our gear and say hello to their awesome staff.

Got ideas of your own you want to bring to life? Give SOBO a call at 888.752.0432 or email info@soboconcepts.com and we’ll make sure you get exactly what you’re looking for! And remember to always #SWAGwithStyle!