Gary Vee Endorses Spreadshop! VeeCon, VeeFriends Merch & More
The relationship that Spreadshop has fostered with GaryVee and his trailblazing branded business ventures - VeeFriends and VeeCon - is the gift that keeps on giving.
Gary’s endorsement of Spreadshop at VeeCon 2024 was the result of many educational conversations and exciting collaborations around merch (some ongoing, some still to come). A passion for connecting with the creator economy and giving people the tools to scale their business is something we both share.
We’ve been working with the VeeFriends team (his innovative entertainment company), for nearly 2 years now. Spreadshop has streamlined the merch process for them, which has allowed the team to scale their merch program dramatically. This was a must for them: They have 280+ characters in their arsenal that require individual merch.
This collaboration ultimately led to us being one of the official sponsors for VeeCon - Gary’s exciting conference-meets-festival - held in Los Angeles this year.
We were not only the official merch provider for VeeCon, but were also on-site with our team to educate attendees on all things merch, and exciting new ventures like phygital (physical + digital) merch.
Spreadshop’s relationship with Gary and his team has been nothing short of outstanding. So let’s tell you the whole story, shall we…
How it Started
Our relationship with the VeeFriends team started back in March 2023. For the unfamiliar, VeeFriends is an innovative entertainment company that uses art, storytelling, and collectibles to enhance its intellectual property.
The VeeFriends themselves are different characters that represent different quirks, qualities, or personality traits. Like, the Optimistic Otter, or the Confident Cobra, or the Determined Dolphin, for example.
They have a huge library of characters (280+) which gives fans the opportunity to find a unique character that best represents them and their personality. This amount of characters also means they needed a merch solution that would easily be able to fulfill large order volumes.
In their merch search, they were looking for a new merch supplier that met two important needs: Nationally/globally based, and a sustainable solution.
Spreadshop is a sub-brand of Spreadgroup, a global merch company. Our headquarters is based in Germany, but we have production facilities all over: Including one in North America (Las Vegas).
Having a facility in Las Vegas allows us to turn orders around FAST for the North American region (48-hour turnaround time). This makes it convenient for individuals, small businesses, and big companies to get orders out to their customers in a timely manner.
Our print on demand business model is inherently sustainable and allows anyone to scale their business at NO EXTRA COST.
But, what does print on demand mean? It means:
Your merch is only produced once an order is placed.
You don’t have to worry about storing inventory, order logistics, or shipping.
We take care of all of that for you so you can focus on other things.
The VeeFriends team wanted a supplier that was close to their headquarters in New York, but accessible to their fans around the world.
This not only made our print on demand business model a draw, but our national and global capabilities, as well. This ultimately led to the decision to choose us to be their official merch provider. Woot woot!
The VeeFriends really wanted to curate their own unique merch line for their customers. They needed the experience and products to feel relevant to their audience. With Spreadshop, you can make and sell 250+ products. You decide what products you want to sell and personalize with endless designs.
The custom apparel and accessory options we offer are endless. After looking through our product catalog, they decided to sell four different products for each character in their merch store, dubbed as their “comfort collection”.
In their shop, you can purchase: A fitted Next Level cotton poly T-shirt, a Gildan unisex sweatshirt, a kid’s hoodie from LAT apparel, and a kid’s premium T-shirt from our own Spreadshirt brand.
This curation allows them to successfully serve both of their target demographics: adults and kids. And they’ve had quite a successful year selling merch with us, becoming one of our top partners.
“Spreadshop has been a reliable merch partner with great products, but it's the people we've worked there with that have truly made a positive impact on our partnership and global product offerings.”
- Andy Krainak, President of VeeFriends
Which VeeFriends character are you? Shop their merch store to find out!
With 280+ characters, there’s a VeeFriends character for anyone. Browse their shop and find a character that speaks to your personality!
VeeCon x Spreadshop: A Game-Changing Sponsorship
We want to echo what Andy said: It really is the people that have made this partnership so special. Our work with the VeeFriends team has felt meaningful not just because of the merch, but because we’ve been able to work with compassionate, talented people.
When the opportunity to become a sponsor for VeeCon 2024 was presented to us, we jumped at the chance! The Spreadshop team were at VeeCon 2023 in Indianapolis, but just as attendees - we didn’t participate in helping plan anything for the event or work with the VeeCon team.
With the event being in Los Angeles this year, we knew we had to go all out and be part of every merch-related detail.
We were one of the official sponsors for the event alongside big names like Meta, Shopify, and Coach. And it only made sense for us to be the official merch provider for VeeCon, too.
Official VeeCon Merch
We produced T-Shirts that VeeCon sold at official merch stands throughout the event space. This included T-Shirts for their FriendsFest, VeeCon-specific shirts, and kids’ VeeCon shirts. All the T-Shirts (besides the kids’ sizes) featured an NFC chip sewn into the shirt that granted attendee’s access to exclusive VeeFriends content.
An NFC (near-field communication) chip is a passive device, which means it doesn’t require a built-in battery. Instead, they draw power from the device being used to read them, like your smartphone. When VeeCon attendees put their phone close to the chip, they were granted access to exclusive videos and a special VeeFriends comic.
The chips were supplied by ZATAP. They help brands transform their physical merch into dynamic digital platforms, which empowers audience connection, heightens user experience, and boosts merch value.
Working with their team was another exciting part of the journey to VeeCon. We were able to dive headfirst into the phygital merch landscape for the first time, something that’s an exciting part of our journey moving forward. It’s a new innovative solution for not only merch, but the creator economy, as well. It’s a powerful tool to bridge connections and boost brand satisfaction.
Spreadshop also outfitted the entire VeeCon event staff! They wore official VeeCon shirts that featured the Spreadshop logo on the back. This helped boost our brand visibility on multiple levels.
Beyond fulfilling merch for VeeCon, we were also on-site for the duration of the event. We had our own booth (the biggest one there!) that allowed us to easily interact and engage with VeeCon attendees.
As part of our activation, we asked attendees to answer VeeFriends trivia questions for the chance to win exclusive merch: Spreadshop-branded phone fans or Spreadshop heart shirts with an NFC chip.
Once scanned, the chips lead users to a Spreadshop-branded experience. We showcased 4 different videos that covered phygital, monetization, assortment, and innovation topics, as well as an exclusive Spreadshop-branded VeeFriends comic.
VIP and Creator Gifting Experience
All VIP speakers and creators attending VeeCon were gifted a VeeCon x Spreadshop branded bag filled with gifts from participating sponsors. We included a VeeFriends shirt with an NFC chip that led to exclusive Spreadshop content, as well as a video brochure with our phygital, monetization, assortment, and innovation videos.
Check out the video below all about monetization!
The most exciting part of VeeCon, though?! GaryVee stopping by our booth!
He dropped by to film an exclusive endorsement video for us and hang with the Spreadshop team. We chatted about all things merch and monetization. In the video, he talked about how Spreadshop has helped VeeFriends streamline their merch business and find growth as their official merch provider.
He also talked about the importance of phygital (physical + digital) merch and how we’ll be taking steps to grow our partnership in the future.
Working with GaryVee, the VeeFriends team, and VeeCon organizers has been the most rewarding collaboration for us here at Spreadshop. We’re proud to forge connections with people in the industry who share a similar passion as us: To empower creators (big and small).
Stay tuned…there’s plenty more excitement to come.