Brand marketing done right: Yellow Claw’s ‘Blood for Mercy’

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Amsterdam based duo Yellow Claw has held a dominating position in the electronic music industry for many years. Drawing acclaim through their unique sound and undeniable energy in both production and live performances, the Dutch sensations quickly garnered a widespread loyal following, which has grown exponentially with each passing year. A fundamental aspect of the duo’s brand is undoubtedly their clothing line, Blood For Mercy, in collaboration with Daily Paper, an Amsterdam based clothing brand.

The expansion of the offering

Quickly expanding from a few select items to a huge range, the Blood For Mercy line was an instant success with Yellow Claw’s worldwide following, who quickly embraced the products. In the past, electronic producers have released rather limited merchandise lines, featuring one or two items of clothing, and the designs have regularly been limited to a blank item featuring only the artist’s logo, and no other design features. Yellow Claw has completely rethought the term ‘artist merchandise’, and have explored the true potential of a high-quality and intricately designed clothing line. 

When discussing the Blood For Mercy line with EDM Tunes, Yellow Claw member Nils Rondhuis explained the desire to overcome the traditional merchandise line expectation: “Basically all the merchandise that has been around for ages, is all super whack and it’s like always the same, it’s always a t-shirt with a logo. We met up with the guys from Daily Paper, they’re young guys from Amsterdam, and they have a really grown up clothing collection. We met up with those guys and just started drawing and sketching. Really, with the music, what are we missing? What are we missing in the shops? Basically, that turned out to be one hell of a collection.”

Fans advertising the brand

The popularity of the Blood For Mercy line is impossible to dispute, with avid fans eagerly representing the brand, wearing the clothing in all corners of the globe. This public display of support became invaluable to the duo, and the popularity of the line quickly began to experience cursory growth. In particular, at momentous events including Amsterdam Dance Event, the brand was particularly present, with an army of Blood For Mercy jackets seen throughout the streets of the city. This visually represents the impact the brand has had on the electronic music scene and is a clear clarification that Blood For Mercy is one of the world’s most prominent clothing lines developed by musicians.

Innovative design increasing consumer support

Looking at the widespread success of the clothing line, it is vital to ask the question – how did Yellow Claw ensure that their line of merchandise became one of the most relevant in the music industry? A key aspect of this success undeniably stems from the cutting edge design of the pieces. Staying ahead of the curve, and drawing consumer interest with their unique branding and streamlined design, it is irrefutably clear that Yellow Claw’s collaboration with Daily Paper is a match made in heaven. Combining the music and branding of the duo with Daily Paper’s innovative designs gave consumers exactly what they desired, the ability to represent their favorite artist while putting together a contemporary look. It was this seamless blend that truly initiated the worldwide growth of the Blood For Mercy brand and cemented its position as one of the most iconic clothing lines to originate from the music industry.

Fan loyalty and exclusivity becoming vital

The Blood For Mercy clothing line has now seen such widespread success that it has become an intrinsic aspect of who Yellow Claw are as a duo. The excitement around the release of new merchandise items has grown to almost match the anticipation around the release of new music, which is a testament to the loyalty between the fans and the brand. While the offering includes a vast array of diverse items, Yellow Claw always ensure to give exclusivity to select items, which acts as a further catalyst towards the widespread anticipation of new releases.

The future certainly looks exceedingly bright for the Blood For Mercy line, as Yellow Claw continue to stay ahead of the trends. Having already created a widespread phenomenon with the growth of the brand, expectations are undoubtedly high for the future, although it seems certain that the duo will match and exceed those expectations. With such pioneering merchandise lines hitting the market, present and future artists will have to drastically advance their offering to meet the competition head-on, but this mammoth increase in competition will undoubtedly lead to an increase in quality and demand, which can only lead to the artist merchandise industry flourishing further into the future.