You know how there’s always an unofficial Song of the Summer—the song with just the right warm-weather vibes for that specific moment in time? Think Rihanna’s “Umbrella” in 2007 or Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” in 2013. (Man, we’re getting old.)
Well, if there was a promo version of the Song of the Summer, it’d be Ball Park’s latest promotional product: the Hot Dog Helmet.
Now, we must warn you: Once you witness the glory that is the Ball Park Hot Dog Helmet, you may find yourself spontaneously firing up the grill or mowing your lawn, with no recollection of how you got there. That’s how perfectly summer this thing is.
So, before we go any further, grab a seat, brace yourself and make sure you’re not around any heavy machinery. Are you ready? OK. Behold:
Yes, it’s like one of those beer helmets, except instead of funneling pilsner directly into your mouth, it funnels ketchup and mustard onto your hot dog via a pair of detachable pumps. Here’s a helpful schematic showing this in action:
Ball Park launched the Hot Dog Helmet earlier this week, but it’s limited to 150. To snag one, fans have to enter by following Ball Park on Instagram and commenting on the announcement post with a couple contest-specific hashtags and a hot dog emoji.
That’s a nice little social media component that should encourage engagement. And the post already has 297 comments, almost all of them contest entries. Not bad considering Ball Park’s Instagram account has 7,772 followers. The contest runs until June 23, so that gives the brand plenty of time to promote it and pump up those numbers.
And, seriously, this thing is just fun. It’s a novelty item, sure, but it’s well designed (from a branding and aesthetic standpoint) and it’ll be the talk of the barbecue, tailgate or beach party. That’s sure to generate some nice brand exposure for Ball Park on top of whatever online buzz comes from the contest portion.
That’s all the ingredients needed for Promo of the Summer consideration. And while we still don’t know what 2022’s Song of the Summer is going to be, we honestly doubt it can top all that.
“People are passionate about how they top their hot dogs, and we want to make sure they can make each bite as perfect as can be,” said Kanchan Garg, senior brand manager, Ball Park brand. “There isn’t just one way to top a Ball Park frank, and that’s exactly what our helmet celebrates.”
