Let's Make it Spicy

#005 | 03.21.23

Newsletter #005

Good morning!

An extra special thank you to Vincent D., Glenn G., Michael S., and Josh E. for sharing their feedback on our first four newsletter sends so far. It is always appreciated to hear from our subscribers on what is working and what can be improved upon!

Today’s newsletter rundown:  
Merch around the Internet
Deep Dive: Down on the Ranch
Keep It Twisted
Interview with Tiffany from City Bonfires
Promo Job Postings

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Where Do All Those Celebrity Hot Sauce Collaborations Come From?
Noah Chaimberg of Brooklyn hot sauce shop Heatonist explains the process. Interesting read on what it means to collaborate on one product and then promote it if you're a celebrity.

UFC fighter Dustin Poirier collaborated with Heatonist on Louisiana-style hot sauce line.

SwagUp Snags Growth Funding from Decathlon Capital Partners
Revenue-based transaction will fund expansions of the New Jersey company through an innovative, shareholder-friendly financing structure.

San Antonio Spurs releasing a new apparel line in honor of the team’s 50th anniversary
The San Antonio Spurs are releasing a new apparel line with Bexar Goods in honor of the team’s 50th anniversary.

Why Is TikTok Obsessing Over Costco-Branded Apparel?
Costco has a level of brand loyalty, unlike many other businesses. Members are only too happy to flash that card to show that they're in that exclusive shopping society.

@thekimchipapi

Is the Kirkland Sig Collection the next wave? It always has been #fyp #forYou #OOTD #FashionInspo #Costco

Paramount Bets on Unified Ecommerce Site for ‘Star Trek,’ ‘Yellowstone’ and More Merch
Paramount Shop gives the company a direct-to-consumer outlet showcasing its various franchises, another way of managing its assets with a global mindset, and another chance to sell 'Top Gun' hats and 'Paw Patrol' plush toys by offering "a mountain of merch."

How Wrangler and Fender Made a Case—Literally—for Better Branded Merch
“I eat, sleep, and breathe guitar accessories—it’s my passion,” Richard Bussey, vice president of accessories for Fender guitars, told Adweek. “I’m always thinking about new products and innovations.”

Wrangler x Fender's co-branded guitar straps are cool, but the case is the heavy hitter.

Over 11,000 'Spartan Strong' shirts, and clothing already sold to support victims, MSU fund
Nudge Printing is working with MSU and other vendors on the 'Spartan Strong’ apparel. 100% of the proceeds will go to the Spartan Strong Fund.

Luka Sabbat Shares BMW Merch Capsule
Known for his love of cars, more specifically vintage BMW models, Luka Sabbat has now revealed a series of merch he has created for the German auto manufacturer.

Lone Star Brewing Partners With Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation For Texas Independence Day With Artist Merch Collaboration & Proceeds Benefiting The Foundation
As a toast to the “best views in Texas,” Lone Star has launched a limited-edition merchandise collaboration with Texas-based artist Emily Eisenhart.

Corporate Gifting: Is Being Frugal Costing You?
In other words, don’t be cheap on gifting to employees and clients, or it will cost you!

One of America’s favorite condiments, Ranch dressing, has had people talking about some interesting collaborations.

National Ranch Day was March 10th (who makes up these silly holidays by the way?) and a few companies took to producing branded merch in order to get people talking.

First up, we have a “crave-able bath experience like no other” (their words, not mine). You guessed it, ranch soap. The partnership was dreamt up by the soap company, Buff City Soap, and the national chicken wing chain, Wingstop.

In celebration of National Ranch Day

On a sweeter note, Hidden Valley Ranch partnered with Van Leeuwen Ice Cream to release a ranch-flavored ice cream.

The 14-ounce packages will be sold for $4.98 exclusively at Walmart

Regardless of what you think of the flavor combination, you can’t say it doesn’t make people want to discuss it online (and I think that’s the whole point):

Twisted Tea came out with “VasectomUndies” (boxers with pouches that hold two 12-ounce cans of the beverage). The merchandise is timed to a month that sees a 30% increase in vasectomies that has been attributed to NCAA March Madness, per the release.

Editor’s Note: This week, I interviewed Tiffany Anzalone McCasland, Head of Communications, Brand, and Corporate Sales for City Bonfires — portable bonfires made in Maryland by two dads whose jobs were impacted by the pandemic. I hope you enjoy it!

If you'd like to be interviewed for a future PromoPepper, let us know and we'll get you on the schedule.

Describe City Bonfires.
City Bonfires is an outdoor brand started by 2 Dads during the pandemic. Our City Bonfire is a portable mini fire pit!

What’s your role at City Bonfires?
I handle all things marketing, custom gifts, wholesale, etc.

How involved is City Bonfires in the promo product industry?
We are very involved in the promo product industry. Our custom City Bonfires gifts are a huge hit! It's a large part of our business.

What’s the most exciting project you’ve worked on at City Bonfires?  There have been a few --- we did a movie premiere with Netflix for their movie A Week Away --- we were part of the influencer package. We also worked on an experiential gift with Netflix for the Emmys for the TV series Big Mouth.

How do you think the promo industry will evolve over the next 5 years? 
I think it will continue to evolve into more sustainable, Made in the USA products, and perhaps have a Virtual Reality focus as well!

What services/products are you finding yield the highest return on investments? (i.e. what's your bread and butter?)
Our Custom Smores Night Pack is a huge hit --- it's great for virtual teams who want to connect over a "fireside chat."

How has technology impacted your business?
We rely heavily on social media and the content generated by our customers. We are blessed with amazing reviews and User Generated Content!

How do people find you / what sales channels are most effective for you? www.citybonfires.com --- we are also on ASI, Sage. Word of mouth has been great too! Typically when we get a corporate order it leads to many more! We are now an approved vendor for Google, Facebook/Meta, Amazon, etc.

Click on each link to see the application/job description page:

We have so much more to say but we're saving some for next time. Reply back with your comments and/or questions and we’ll utilize them for the next issue!

Have a great rest of your week,

J.