Do not skip this post: The 48 Hour T-Shirt Is Coming…!

Posted by Rob Walker on November 25, 2008
Posted Under: 48-Hour T-shirt

NOTE: [Especially if you’re coming to this link from Coolhunting: The first T is available NOW (until 10 a.m. eastern 12/3), go here. Or if you’re too late for that be notified of the next one by signing up here, or just checking back at Murketing.com.]

Ladies and gentlemen … friends and enemies … readers and passers-by:

The Murketing Organization is extremely excited to announce The 48-Hour T-shirt project. (Download colorful and informative flier here.)

This project involves the creation of three T-shirts, each by a talented up-and-coming student designer. Each T will be for sale for precisely 48 hours, exclusively via Murketing.com.

T-shirts will be revealed and announced and made available for purchase on Monday December 1; Monday December 8; and Monday December 15.

Each design is inspired by actual academic research related to consumer behavior. That’s right! It’s a lesson in consumer behavior — and you can consume it! Ironic? Hypocritical? Or … fiendishly clever?

You decide. –> All T’s priced at this incredibly reasonable and affordable figure: $18.

I’ve seen the designs, and they’re all awesome. Stop by Murketing.com on the dates mentioned above, or sign up here to be notified when each design is revealed:

[ List services by Dada Mail ]

[Be sure to check your junk/spam folder — this is a double opt-in list setup, so there’s a confirmation step.]

Read all the details after the jump. But know this: All (100%) of the profits go to the student designers listed above.


The 48-Hour T-Shirt Project is proudly sponsored by The Murketing Organization, and Buying In: The Secret Dialogue Between What We Buy and Who We Are.

Additional details as follows:

How The 48-Hour T-Shirt Project Works

1.The details explained below supersede any details you may have read elsewhere or previously. Please read them.

2. As noted, each design is made public, and available for purchase, on the specified dates above. A post on Murketing.com will reveal the design, and explain the research that inspired it. (That information will also be made available as a downloadable PDF, if you want to hand something out as a flier to all the people who ask you about your impressive new T.)

3. After 48 hours, the T-shirt is no longer available. No more will be produced. Ever.

4. When orders are complete, designs are screenprinted on American Apparel 4.3 oz fine cotton, athletic fit T’s by Derek Black. When that’s done, they are shipped by the artist, to you. U.S. shipping is $5.

5. This is one way we have kept the price so low: There is no excess inventory. We produce only what has been bought.

6. We anticipate the maximum turnaround time will be three weeks. Hopefully quicker — but without knowing the order volume, we don’t want to make promises. Note: That means the December 15 design won’t make it in time for Xmas, and the December 8 design involves risk on that front. Still, don’t you kind of like receiving an Xmas gift late?

7. All orders via Paypal. You can use a credit card through Paypal. We don’t have the logistics to deal with personal checks, etc. No bartering!

Further diversion may be found at MKTG Tumblr, and the Consumed Facebook page.

Reader Comments

Got any big honkin’ sizes? You know, for us big honkin’ “athletes” (Nice job of murketing – don’t reveal the size, so you could go for baby shirts and teach us all a lesson!)

#1 
Written By GoingLikeSixty on December 1st, 2008 @ 5:00 pm

There’s a size selector on the post for the first T-shirt above. It’s up to the designer, in this case he has both XL and 2XL.

#2 
Written By Rob Walker on December 1st, 2008 @ 5:04 pm

Are you shipping outside of the US?

#3 
Written By Dunkndisordelry on December 2nd, 2008 @ 6:47 am

That’s up to each designer. For the first T (please scroll up) you can contact the designer directly to work something out, his email is on the post above, the one for his T-shirt.

#4 
Written By Rob Walker on December 2nd, 2008 @ 7:07 am

This is such a brilliant idea! They’re creating a desire for a product by promoting how unique it is, and maybe for $18 the consumer will somehow buy thier individuality. Alternatively there is also this idea that by buying this product they will find themselves in a unique community bonded by a love of interesting t-shirts. When seeing someone else with the product they feel instantly connected to that person.

This is completely different idea than lets say a Guici bag. This product is simply a status symbol, and the only thing that makes this different than any other bag is price, which only the consumer really knows how much it was.

The T-Shirts on the other hand, everyone can appreciate , because people have either never seen it before or has seen it and understands it’s limited availability.

#5 
Written By Chelsea Corridori on December 15th, 2008 @ 11:16 am

Thanks Chelsea. You have one last chance to buy one. Act now!

#6 
Written By Rob Walker on December 15th, 2008 @ 11:28 am
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