Apparel company taps CEO to model new products due to COVID-19
A custom team apparel company based in Columbus, Ohio, Emblem Athletic, launched a new service to make it easy for small businesses to order customizable face masks – but did so with a special guest product model: Mike Nemeth, their CEO. The new service, named Emblem Shield, launched quickly but without initial product photography because their usual models were unavailable due to Ohio quarantine restrictions. Thanks to Emblem Shield sales, the company was able to keep all 12 team members employed.
“Having fun is one of our core values,” said Nemeth while posing shirtless in a branded face mask. “But it’s not fun worrying about keeping everyone employed. Despite the serious situation, we still wanted to have fun launching Emblem Shield. It seems like too many companies are afraid of making their customers smile with humor. Especially now when we all need to smile the most – even if you can’t see it beneath a mask.”
“While Mike wouldn’t normally be my first choice for a male model, he more than overcompensated with his willingness to fully commit to every cliche look and pose we could imagine,” said Shannon Williams, photographer from 10 Speed Studios.
After releasing the photoshoot and statement, Emblem Shield has seen a significant spike in demand. Customers include more than400 different small businesses, churches, law enforcement agencies, and professional sports teams across the country. Thanks to recent sales of Emblem Shield, the team has been able to keep all 12 team members employed throughout the current crisis.