There are few industries that continually churn out as much promotional merchandise as the fast-food industry does. From fried chicken covered crocs to a whopper-scented cologne, they will try anything to keep their customers keen. Here’s a few favorites from the past few years:
The KFC 11 Herbs and Spices Firelog
These chicken-scented firelogs, created in partnership with Enviro-log, are the perfect way to bring the familiar smell of fast food into your home. Clearly the aroma of ‘11 Herbs & Spices’ has some promotional pull with the campaign running successfully over the past few years and it certainly scores points for novelty factor.
Burger King’s Oversized Crowns
When it comes to promotional merch, scale is certainly one way to engage with your customers and get your brand noticed. Back in 2020, Burger King in Germany introduced oversized cardboard crowns in order to promote social distancing in-store. Taking a cue from one of the key pillars of marketing (make it RELEVANT) the BK team said they wanted a ‘fun and playful way’ for customers to keep their distance whilst still enjoying their fast food fix.
Dunkin’ Peppermint Mocha Scented Wrapping Paper
There is nothing like the festive season to get the promotional marketing wheels turning. A few years back, the boffins at Dunkin’ Donuts decided to offer wrapping paper with a side of sweet-smelling holiday cheer. Presumably extra brownie points were given to gift-givers who planned to wrap a box of donuts up in the 27” x 39” peppermint-scented sheets.
Quarter Pounder Candle Pack
Who is MOST likely to engage with your promotional merch? Your biggest fans.
Which might explain why Mcdonalds created the ‘Quarter Pounder Fan Club’, which will be rolling out all manner of merchandise over the coming months. Including the scented candle pack – a set of six candles that smell of bun, ketchup, pickle, cheese, onion and “100 percent fresh beef” respectively. Quite the mood setter!
Pizza Hut’s Triple Treat Box
In more festive season news, fans of carbs were no doubt delighted when Pizza Hut launched their Triple Treat Box campaign. The three-in-one meal with two medium one-topping pizzas, five breadsticks and 10 Cinnabon mini rolls ensured nobody would stay hungry for long. In a statement chief marketing officer George Felix explained it thus; “We know the holiday season can get busy, so let Pizza Hut take care of dinner so you can focus on spending time with the people you love.”
Bearing in mind the average American spends $1200 on fast food every year, it’s no wonder that so much time, effort and creativity is dedicated to creating merch to entice customers to choose their establishment over the competition.
Keen to discover NEW ways you can stand out from the crowd? Book in for a free presentation with one of our team and we will bring along industry-relevant merch and samples perfect for your next project. CONTACT US today!
