AdWeek said...
 

The summer of swag is bleeding over into the fall, with A&W recently launching a line of pricey, bespoke items to celebrate “cheddar weather” and Arby’s announcing a new set of cozy sweatsuits for cooler temperatures.

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And now it’s Oscar Mayer’s turn, with the introduction of its first apparel line, a “Street Meat Capsule Collection” of clothing and accessories—socks, t-shirts, bomber jackets and track pants among them. The collection keeps the party going on its major 2021 brand refresh and experiential push.

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The iconic 138-year-old meat maker wants to put its own twist on branded merchandise, an exploding arena everywhere from Panera to Pizza Hut, and “bring some much-needed levity to the hyper-serious fashion and streetwear world,” according to Megan Lang, associate marketing director.

 

That will include distributing the 13-item collection at tricked-out hotdog carts in New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta and via the Wienermobile, which will become a pop-up shop roving around the country through October.

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“Gone are the days of camping out overnight in long lines or joining an online waiting room for the latest gear,” Lang told Adweek. “Because what’s more fun than finding your new fall fits at a hotdog cart hidden in plain sight?”

The project, launching today, continues Oscar Mayer’s high-profile year, which has so far included logo and package redesigns from BrandOpus and its first campaign, “Keep It Oscar,” with creative agency Johannes Leonardo.

 

All this recent marketing activity, during a stunt-heavy period across the restaurant and consumer packaged goods industries, has aimed to turn heads and inject the heritage brand into current pop culture moments. 

There was a photobombing at New York Fashion Week, for instance, and a partnership with Lyft XL that put riders, including an Adweek crew, into the Wienermobile. Those headline-grabbing stunts came on the heels of a summer program that addressed the mismatched ratio of hot dogs to buns in conventional grocery packaging.

As part of Oscar Mayer’s contemporary makeover, the brand has reworked the uniforms of its “Hotdoggers,” the employees who tour in the Wienermobile and make public appearances n. 

“When the Hotdoggers got a much-needed fresh look this year, we knew fans would want the chance to rock them too, taking their own love of meats to the streets,” Lang said, noting that the event is “an invitation to take life less seriously and to see the world through our meat-colored glasses.”

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The “Street Meat” items are limited edition—exact numbers were not released—and include $25 cross-body bags, $3 shoelaces, $30 slides and $45 crewneck sweatshirts. Fans can follow the brand’s Twitter account to see when and where the Wienermobile will land.

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