How Ron built a mission-driven brand with custom memorial t-shirts

Storytelling that sparks conversation

Selling a t-shirt is one thing. Turning that shirt into a way for people to honor loved ones and talk openly about suicide is another. Ron has built his campaigns around emotional storytelling that speaks directly to his audience’s experiences.

“When we create an ad, it’s not about us,” he explained. “The text and the image are meant to say, ‘I hear you. I know what you’re going through. Your loved one will be honored.’”

Every step – from ad creative to product page to follow-up email – carries that same tone of empathy. Customers aren’t just placing an order; they’re invited to submit names for personalized awareness apparel. And when they wear a shirt printed with hundreds of names, it becomes more than just clothing – it’s a conversation starter.

Ron sees those conversations as part of the mission. “When people ask, ‘What are these names on your shirt?’ it opens the door to talk about mental health and suicide prevention. That helps remove stigma.”

Customer stories that keep the mission alive

While sales numbers matter, Ron measures success just as much by the stories that come back from his community. Some of them are deeply moving, showing how a simple shirt can spark human connection in unexpected places.

“One that always stands out for me,” he said, “was when a customer told us she was in the hospital for surgery. She mentioned to her nurse that she had submitted her father’s name for one of our suicide prevention shirts. The nurse said she had done the same for her nephew.”

When they looked at the shirt design, they realized something remarkable: the father’s name appeared right above the nephew’s name. “It was pure coincidence,” Ron recalled, “but it felt powerful. Two strangers meeting in a hospital, bonding over loss, and finding each other’s loved ones honored on the same shirt.”

His customers often share how wearing custom memorial t-shirts or other apparel helps them start conversations with friends, coworkers, or even strangers. With more than 200 testimonials collected so far, the feedback affirms that Nameswear is helping people heal and connect.

Branding beyond the product

For Ron, the experience doesn’t end when someone clicks Buy. Every order is designed to remind customers that they’re part of something larger than a transaction. Printful’s customization options allow Ron to add personal touches, like branded tags and inserts, that keep his mission front and center.

“When someone receives a shirt or a mug from us, we include a card that says what you’re buying is not just merchandise,” Ron explained. “It’s an item you can wear to raise awareness, to honor your loved one, and to carry the message into the world.”

That small addition – made possible through brand inserts and packaging – reinforces the reason for the purchase. 

The quality and consistency of the products add to that trust. “I feel confident in what we sell because I know our buyers are taken care of – because Printful takes care of me.”

“If anything goes wrong,” he said, “I know Printful will take care of it quickly. That confidence lets me assure my buyers we’ll always stand by what we sell.”

For a cause-driven brand, these touches matter. They turn a package into a message, ensuring every order carries the same spirit of hope that inspired it.

Make your brand unforgettable with custom merch

Printful helps you create promotional products with your logo, perfect for events, giveaways, or employee gifts. Sell them online or use them to raise brand awareness.

What you get

✔ Custom mugs, hoodies, tote bags, notebooks, and more
✔ Branding options with your logo and design elements
✔ Hassle-free MerchShare links for easy distribution
✔ Fast global delivery with average shipping in 4 days

Start creating custom merch with Printful today.

Lessons from shifting to SMS marketing

As his business matured, Ron noticed something important about his audience – they didn’t always check their emails. Most of his buyers were women over 45, balancing households, work, and other responsibilities. Reaching them meant meeting them where they already were: on their phones.

“With Printful, I had access to customer data I never had before,” he explained. “About 80 to 83% of buyers who give us their email also give us their phone number. That changed everything.”

Instead of relying only on email campaigns, Ron shifted much of his marketing to text messages. The results were immediate. “People might ignore an email, but they’ll always look at a text,” he said. 

The move also made his communication feel more personal. SMS messages were short, direct, and better aligned with the urgency of honoring names or joining new shirt campaigns. This approach wouldn’t have been possible without owning his customer data, a change that came with Printful.

Looking ahead with partnerships and The Hope Club

While Nameswear has built momentum through individual campaigns, Ron is already thinking about how to expand the mission beyond direct-to-consumer sales. His next step is building partnerships with organizations that share his goals.

“We want to reach out to companies and suicide prevention organizations,” he said. “If they provide names (with the consent of families), we can create custom memorial t-shirts, with their branding included. That way, they can give the shirts directly to families.”

This approach would reduce ad costs while expanding reach. The savings, he said, could be redirected into donations, allowing the brand to give back more directly.

Ron is also exploring the idea of launching The Hope Club, a membership community where people could receive regular support. “The idea is to offer weekly inspiration and more personal ways to handle life’s challenges. We want to bring counselors on board and create a space where people feel connected.”

Whether through partnerships or subscriptions, these plans are natural extensions of Ron’s mission: to honor loved ones, spark conversations, and reduce stigma around suicide.

What merchants can learn from Ron’s journey

Here are the important takeaways from Ron’s journey for anyone who wants to make a big difference when building a print-on-demand brand.

• Start with meaning: His products worked because they carried weight for the people wearing them. A strong purpose will always outlast passing designs.

• Take control of your data: Access to customer details allowed him to follow up, build loyalty, and adjust campaigns confidently.

• Let the story show through the product: Every touchpoint (ads, emails, even the card in the package) reminded buyers that their purchase was about remembering someone, not just buying a shirt.

• Match your audience’s habits: Ron’s customers were more responsive to texts than emails. By paying attention, he kept engagement strong instead of relying on ineffective channels.

• Work with a partner, not just a printer: Reliable fulfillment and branding options through Printful let him to focus on the mission instead of logistics.

For merchants, Ron’s experience is proof that a print-on-demand store doesn’t have to be transactional. With the right tools and a clear purpose, it can become a platform for real connection and, in Ron’s case, a way to give people hope.

If you’ve been waiting to start your own print-on-demand journey, there’s no better time. Printful makes it simple to launch, scale, and keep your brand in your hands.