College Park

For those of you who stopped short on page 62 of Promo Marketing's June issue, you might have asked yourself, "Why is there a picture of a baby in a collegiate wear article?" No, we weren't suggesting you try to find a foothold in the competitive niche market of child prodigies. Surprisingly enough, according to Mindy Anastos of Ball Ground, Georgia-based LAT Sportswear, infant and toddler items are the most popular items the company supplies to colleges and universities. Joe Ebaugh, director of trademark licensing at the University of Maryland in College Park, Md., agreed: "Little infant cheerleader sets, bibs, youth products … if you can envision seeing a logo on it and having it marketable and consumable, we'll take a flyer on it."

According to Joe Ebaugh, director of trademark licensing at the University of Maryland in College Park, Md., the school is always looking for areas of opportunity in which to place their products. In particular, "We'd love to be in more airport locations in Baltimore and Washington," he said. And it's no wonder. In such a high-traffic area, there's arguably no better way to reach transient students, potential students and fans. For distributors, it could be a valuable foot in the door in a highly lucrative market. "We're always looking for someone who has connections that can get us into those locations, Ebaugh affirmed.

Let’s revisit, if you will, one of the most special and overwhelming times in a young person’s life: the tour de universities. Running around the country through various hallowed halls of learning is enough of a whirlwind, to be sure, but the most daunting part of it all has to be the variables involved. You might be able to briefly try each school on for size, but you won’t know if it truly fits until it’s been bought and paid for (first-semester transfers can testify to this).

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