The kids say you were driving like you had your Blink-182 shirt on.

“What is the difference between these shirts?” That’s what I asked the kids at the Nex Gen driver development program when I spoke to them earlier this month. I was holding up three different tops – one was a corporate-y pinstriped blazer, one was a hot pink Blink-182 concert T-shirt, and one was a black Weller Racing T-shirt with their names, numbers, and outlines of SXS’s on it.

Now, for some background, this talk wasn’t actually about how the shirts looked. The point I was trying to make was deeper. These kids, aged roughly 8-17 years old, are at the start of their racing careers, and it’s my job to help them see the big picture. Nex Gen was teaching them how to drive their cars, and I was teaching them how to grow their programs.

How did they think I felt wearing the pinstriped blazer, I asked. “Confident,” “Powerful,” and “Not very fun” were some of the ideas (all valid, I might add.) What about the Blink-182 tee? “Fun,” “Loud,” “Bold.” Okay, and how did I feel when I was wearing my Weller Racing T-shirt? They weren’t really sure on that one, so we switched gears.

I asked them “How do others view me when I’m wearing this? What if I was at the racetrack wearing this one? Would I stand out or blend in?” I held up the blazer. “You would stand out,” the kids thought, “you’d look important.” Okay, what about the Weller shirt, now? What would others think of me if I was wearing that one? “They’d think you were cool,” said one of the kids. “They’d think you like racing” said another. *DING DING* We have a winner.

See – when we’re picking out clothes we like, we’re doing it because of how we feel about them and because of how we think others feel about us when we’re wearing them. I wear my blazer when I want myself and others to feel like I’m professional or important. I wear my Blink-182 T-shirt when I want people to think I’m outgoing or when I’m feeling loud and a little punk-rock. And I wear my Weller Racing shirt because it signals to others that I am involved in offroad racing and, more importantly, that I have a connection to Jason and Corry Weller.

Racer on Demand gives you the platform to sell your merch, but it’s up to you to build the connections that drive fans to buy your merch. What do you want your fans to feel when they’re sorting through the laundry to find a T-shirt with your logo on it? What are your fans trying to signal to others when they’re wearing your merch?

Later in the day, I rolled my car by driving a little too hard into the finish-line corner while the kids, strapped into their own cars, onlooked. I hadn’t been sure if they’d gotten the point of my message until one of the dads ran over and told me, “The kids say you were driving like you had your Blink-182 shirt on!”

By golly, I think they got it.