Good Shirts, a Great Idea

Last week, through hard work, commitment to detail and occasionally seeming against all odds – a tri-fecta of organizations launched Good Shirts, a t-shirt collection to support UNICEF’s efforts to save kids affected by the famine in East Africa. I have never launched a product from scratch before, let alone conceived, coordinated and launched a collection of products as a fundraiser. This effort took a boatload of passionate, dedicated people, teams of people. It took senior level buy-in from two companies and one NGO. It took re-thinking the rules on every front. It took a super cool idea leveraging an artist’s vision. And a crack legal team navigating the tricky rules where the term ‘cause marketing’ can sometimes seem like an oxymoron. But most of all, it took stamina and sense of humor by more people than you can count on your fingers and toes. When BBH answered our call and came to us with the concept, we immediately loved it. It was simple, articulated the need and was in a word, fun. But I don’t think any of us knew what we were in for. Seven days into its launch, we are all hoping Good Shirts becomes not just unique idea for the records, but a disruptive and successful fundraiser. We know the idea is right but we know we’re only half way to the finish line with its introduction. If we thought a good idea could have overnight success (and I’m not sure we did), we are reminded that diligent execution is, and continues to be, everything. With a bit more luck, a lot more hard work and allies everywhere who believe in kids, this idea could turn great any day now. The teams at BBH, Threadless and the US Fund for UNICEF certainly won’t stop until it is.

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