There’s something about the fall that just seems to bring out creativity in people, whether it’s crafting elaborate Halloween costumes or pursuing ambitious home décor projects. And the branded merch scene is no exception – the past month has been chock-full of fun and sometimes slightly crazy collaborations and campaigns.

Welcome to Best in Branding, the ASI Media series that spotlights the clever, goofy or just downright wacky ways brands are making use of promo in the wild.

Mug’s Root Beer Float Tote

Photo courtesy of Mug Root Beer

Ever been on the go and said to yourself, “Darn, I really wish I had a root beer float in my purse right now?” I’m not sure if that’s actually happened to anyone, but Mug Root Beer has unleashed a solution for it anyway. The company’s recently released Root Beer Float Tote looks like a cute brown purse on the outside, but on the inside, users will find a secret pouch for stashing Mug Root Beer. And, more importantly, there’s a hidden spout for easy access to pour some root beer over an ice-cold glass – or, perhaps, a cup of vanilla ice cream for that impromptu root beer float.

Promo Takeaway: Much like the viral hot pink tote bag from Belgian Boys, the reason this bag works is because it doesn’t look like promo from the outside. Instead, it leans into both the “quiet luxury” and chocolate brown trends of the past year to produce a stylish brown mini-bag that consumers would genuinely want to carry around – it just so happens that it has a few extra features that align with the Mug brand. And, even better, also included in the tote purchase bundle is a branded sparkly gold chain and a bottle of Mug – making it even easier for consumers to use the product as intended. Practical? Absolutely not. Genius? 100%.

King’s Hawaiian Flight Upgrades

Photo courtesy of King’s Hawaiian

King’s Hawaiian celebrated its new logo – which it claims is “softer” – with an equally soft merch drop of Softwear sets of cozy sweatshirts and sweatpants inspired by “the fluffy texture of America’s No. 1 branded dinner roll.” (I can’t argue with them there.) To kick off the launch, the brand set up shop at Chicago’s O’Hare airport, where travelers could get their hands on some free merch – with a creative catch: They had to be willing to swap their current outfit for the sweatset, on the spot, with all collected clothing to be donated to a local charity. Talk about the potential for a first-class upgrade for folks wearing their raggedy sweats on travel day.

Promo Takeaway: I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Experiences are where it’s at when it comes to making a lasting impact with a promo campaign. With merch drops like this, you’ll have a segment of superfans that will pay whatever it takes to get their hands on some branded goodies. However, offering free product in a unique setup like an airport pop-up allows the brand to get into the hands of a much wider variety of customers. If the products are good quality, and recipients obtained them in a memorable way – like at a free pop-up on their way to a fun vacation – chances are, they’re going to get at least a little bit of use out of them. And the airport swap setup means guaranteed additional eyes on the King’s Hawaiian brand from all the travelers who take advantage.

Dunkin’ x Urban Outfitters

Photo courtesy of Urban Outfitters

With impeccable timing for National Coffee Day on Sept. 29, Urban Outfitters announced yet another merch collab with a cult-followed brand: this time, Dunkin’. The drop includes a variety of apparel items – from graphic tees to a bubble hoodie with matching shorts – as well as two digital cameras, all branded with donuts, coffee cups and Dunkin’s signature colors.

Promo Takeaway: This collab – as Urban Outfitters is known for – is a master class in knowing your audience. Who’s shopping at Urban Outfitters? Largely, Gen Z. What do those people consume a lot of? Well, a lot of things, but generally: coffee. And the collection speaks to the coffee chain’s classic “America Runs on Dunkin’” slogan. Why else would you wear a T-shirt with a Dunkin’ coffee cup or sprinkle donut emblazoned on the front, much less a hot pink loungewear set? Speaking as a Gen Z consumer here, I’m not necessarily going to drop Urban Outfitters prices on Dunkin’ merch … but I would 100% wear everything in the collection.

Salt & Straw x Taco Bell

Photo courtesy of Salt & Straw

The internet broke down three years ago when the beloved Choco Taco was discontinued from production. Finally, there’s a substitute: Taco Bell partnered with boutique ice cream shop Salt & Straw to produce an elevated version, dubbed The Tacolate. It’s an extra-crunch waffle cone shell, filled with cinnamon ancho chili ice cream, dunked in chocolate and topped with crispy rice for an extra crunch. As a certified ice cream connoisseur – particularly those of the handheld, eat-on-the-beach variety – I am obsessed with this, even though I tragically do not live near a Salt & Straw location.

Promo Takeaway: Taco Bell has a tendency to be on top of it with their promo campaigns – just last month, it launched an early 2000s time capsule merch line that fans went bananas over. And this partnership is no exception. It’s been in the making for more than a decade, since Salt & Straw first launched a soft-serve taco, but Taco Bell didn’t get involved until more recently – and the reason the Tacolate works is because the company still managed to lean into the “Taco Bell-ness” of the product, even though it’s objectively more of Salt & Straw’s product. Oh, did I not mention the mango jalapeño and wildberry cinnamon custom sauce packets accompanying each product? That’s something that only could come from the Taco Bell side. And now, the brand has its name on what’s sure to be everywhere following the product’s drop on Oct. 3.

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