Sick Tee! Thanks Man...

Invisible Children has a some what contradictory marketing strategy when it comes to their clothing line. Their online store is definitely more focused on intriguing the buyer with the actual clothing than it is with the message that IC is trying to spread. On the page where you can purchase their Crane 2 t-shirt there is a fascinating video at the bottom of the page.

Behind The Design ♦ Tyler Fordham from Brandon Tauszik on Vimeo.

This video profiles the artist, Brandon Tauszik, through the process of designing this t-shirt. No where does he address the actual issues going on in Uganda or the reason that IC decided to make this particular shirt. He does briefly touch on the African inspirations behind his design, but none of them have to do with the conflict.

If IC has taken the effort to produce even a short video to put on the viewing page with the t-shirt, it seems to be counter intuitive to not use that opportunity to educate the buyer on the message their t-shirt is supposed to be spreading. In encouraging people to wear their t-shirts in order to spread a message, it is important to also educate the people wearing them so that the message actually gets spread and does not stop at the purchase.

It seems as though IC could take much more advantage of the media power that people have by using videos, such as the one about the Crane 2 t-shirt, to explain the message behind the design, which might include the inspiration for that particular t-shirt, but is more focused on the message it should send than the artist who drew it.