Key Takeaways
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Strategy December 04, 2024

Enron Resurrects With a Merch Marketing Stunt

The company’s recent revival appears to be an elaborate joke designed to fuel sales of Enron merchandise sold by the new trademark holder.

By  Hannah Rosenberger

Key Takeaways

• Enron Rebrand: On the 23rd anniversary of its bankruptcy, Enron was rebranded as a parody merch store by the creator of “Birds Aren’t Real.”

• Merchandise Focus: The rebrand features Enron-branded merchandise, including hoodies, T-shirts and water bottles, sold through an online store.

Monday was the 23rd anniversary of when former Texas energy giant Enron declared bankruptcy back in 2001.

Monday was also, apparently, the launch of a new era for the company – at least according to a press release, elaborate promotional video and website revealed that morning. Enron is now led by a new vision “dedicated to solving the global energy crisis” and addressing the “critical challenges of energy sustainability, accessibility, and affordability,” the press release read.

If that sounds a bit strange, considering that “Enron” is basically a synonym for corporate fraud, there’s a good reason; the whole thing was spearheaded by the same guy behind “Birds Aren’t Real,” the satirical conspiracy theory that purports all birds are actually government drones surveilling the world.

What is the rebrand, actually? A front for a merch store.

Clicking on Enron’s “Company Store” tab takes users to a selection of Enron-branded merchandise. Indulge in a $118 black hoodie or $89 puffer best branded with Enron’s tilted “E” logo, or pick from a selection of T-shirts featuring “Enron for Everyone” and “We’re Back, Can We Talk?” slogans, retailing for $40. There’s even a Nalgene-esque water bottle ($28) that reads “You’ve Got Good Energy.” (That one is kind of funny.)

Connor Gaydos – one half of the duo behind “Birds Aren’t Real” – owns an Arkansas-based T-shirt printing business called The College Company. Since Gaydos and his pal Peter McIndoe conceived their flighty mock conspiracy back in 2017, it’s grown into a brand with its own merch store featuring a variety of trademarked phrases – from “Bird Watching Goes Both Ways” to “The Birds Work For The Bourgeoisie.”

It seems Gaydos was hoping to do the same thing with his Enron stunt: sell merch.

He, under The College Company, bought the trademark for Enron back in 2020, according to publicly available documents, shelling out just $275 for the rights to use Enron’s name and logo. Four years later, Enron was (re)born.

If you’re still hoping for an official Enron turnaround after all that … don’t. The site’s terms and conditions clearly identify The College Company’s shenanigans as “first amendment protected parody, represents performance art, and is for entertainment purposes only.”

It remains to be seen if the site – and the company – will become anything more than a merch storefront, though a countdown set to expire on Dec. 9, teases “something very special” to come for the enterprise.

In the meantime, perhaps an Enron beanie would make a good holiday gift for your least favorite finance bro cousin?