The way we communicate and engage with brands is changing, and companies are no longer just faceless entities that we buy goods and services from. These days, brands are becoming more of an extension of our personality and a way to communicate our values.
For this reason, more and more brands are coming out with unique and exclusive promotions featuring merchandise that connects to the hearts and minds of their loyal fans. In this article we’ll explore 5 of the most captivating brand campaigns – keep reading to see why they were so successful.
To celebrate the 70th birthday of their mascot Tony the Tiger, Kellog’s Frosted Flakes partnered with Puma to create a special edition two-piece sneaker collection. The collection comes in two classic Puma styles, the Suede and Roma, in 2 distinctive colourways, with a number of special details to honour the mascot.
The special-edition Puma Suede comes in a hairy orange material with black tiger stripe details and blue felt tongue tabs featuring a co-branded logo. The Roma design was inspired by the old Frosted Flakes cereal boxes and incorporates bright blue suede uppers with tiger stripes along the middle.
Other stand out details include vintage ad graphics of Tony the Tiger, along with his famous catch phrase on the laces, and other inspiration drawn from the Frosted Flakes cereal box. This collection was an immediate hit with customers as it tapped into a feeling of nostalgia, reminding them of their favourite childhood cereal and mascot.
Chipotle Mexican Grill is a popular fast food restaurant in the US and December 1st marks a special day for Chipotle lovers, with the release of their Mystery Box. The special box includes a range of never-before-seen and fan-favourite merchandise, along with exclusive mystery prizes.
Fans can take part in the holiday promotion by ordering their box between December 1st and 3rd, and anyone who orders in the first 48 hours goes into the draw to win a limited edition $500 gift card. In the past, fans were captivated by items like Cilantro Soap, even creating memes around this quirky mystery item.
The boxes come in small and medium sizes, with 3-5 items in the small and 4-8 items in the medium size. This clever promotion creates a feeling of intrigue and curiosity, which captures the attention of Chipotle superfans who don’t want to miss out on the latest exclusive merchandise.
New York brand Supreme started off as a skate brand but eventually grew to engage the cult following that it has now. When a new Supreme collection drops, the lines for the release are often out the door and wrapped around the block due to the high demand for exclusive and often limited edition items. The brand has released a range of unique co-branded items over the years, including boxing gloves with Everlast, a baseball mitt with Rawlings, and even a sewing machine with the brand Singer.
However, one of the most notable items released was when Supreme partnered with Fender in 2017 to create the Supreme Fender Stratocaster. The classic guitar style comes in a tonal white colour and features the classic red Supreme box logo between the upper pickups. While the guitar retailed at USD$1998, it often has a resale value of around $10,000+ online.
Supreme’s success comes from the exclusive nature of their merchandise, especially when they demonstrate that they have enough clout to collaborate with huge brands like Fender. Superfans can’t help but get in on the action when it comes to these highly sought after collectibles.
Netflix is always trying to enhance the viewing experience for watchers, and in 2015 they introduced the Netflix Socks to further this mission. In order to combat viewers falling asleep halfway through binge watching their favourite shows, Netflix socks would automatically pause whatever is playing when it detects that the wearer has fallen asleep.
The socks use clever programming that communicates with the TV, and will keep track of movements to detect how awake the viewer is. “Netflix socks detect when you’ve dozed off and send a signal to your TV, automatically pausing your show,” the company explains. “Never again will you binge-watch yourself to sleep, only to wake up two seasons later wondering what happened.”
Instead of selling these socks to purchase, Netflix released a detailed how-to guide so loyal fans could make their own at home with a few special components. The promotion was a hit because not only was it quirky and different, it also highlighted a common issue among viewers trying to binge watch their favourite shows.
A small but highly effective promotion was by pet food company IAMS Australia in 2009 — but still does the rounds online today. The promotion involved IAMs Australia making an appearance at a local dog park to hand out special promotional frisbees for dogs that looked like barbell weights.
The frisbees were handed out to pet owners in the park and captured their attention with the unique appearance. The message printed on the frisbee said “Strong Dogs – IAMS Dog Foods” which perfectly communicates the value that IAMS dog food offers — a great incentive for pet owners to try their brand next time they shopped for dog food.
If done right, branded merchandise can elevate your brand in the eyes of your target audience. Your brand is more than just a logo, and with strategic and purpose-driven merchandise, you can make a lasting impression on your customer base.
Ready to create a meaningful promotional campaign that resonates with your customers? Book your free ideation session with our team today!