November is an interesting time for promotional products and campaigns. Some companies have decided to skip Thanksgiving altogether, opting instead for tinsel, glitzy drinkware, Christmas song merchandise lines, and ornaments. Others want to give Thanksgiving its time in the spotlight.
Two recent releases from major alcoholic beverage brands show the two ends of this holiday season spectrum.
The first comes from Southern Comfort, which is leaning into the second half of its name by releasing a pair of drawstring pants intended for Thanksgiving dinner, when we could all use a little bit of wiggle room and elastic in our pants.
But, the pants are actually intended to be worn the night before Thanksgiving, when so many people return to their hometowns for an unofficial reunion with friends over drinks. The reversible pants display the SoCo logo along with “Drinking Pants” in big yellow letters, and come with a pocket specifically made for carrying around a shot glass.
The pants are designed for a world that’s once again sharing drinks in real life, but no longer afraid of wearing leisurely attire outside of the house.
“The pandemic changed nearly everything about daily life, including making comfy-casual attire not only acceptable – but tasteful,” said vice president of global marketing for Sazerac Sara Saunders in a press release. “Southern Comfort wants to lead the way on tasteful choices, so we conducted a host of detailed market research, and that led us to an important conclusion: Pants today are missing a few crucial elements that would improve lives everywhere, a key one being a shot glass pocket.”
As the party on Wednesday night turns into Thursday, when you have to look halfway-presentable around your family, the pants can be reversed to a plain black side. They can make your look a little more dinner-ready, but still allow for comfort for when you slink back to the couch for your Tryptophan nap.
Miller Lite, on the other hand, is already thinking about Christmas trees by releasing a functional tree stand that fits around a quarter-barrel keg. It’s called the Christmas Tree Keg Stand, of course.
Miller Lite unveiled a Christmas Tree Keg Stand as the newest addition to its holiday merchandise lineup. The stands are large enough to fit around a quarter-barrel keg and are designed to make it look as if beer is being poured from the tree. pic.twitter.com/5EDl4CbJQi
— Dan Shuftan (@DanShuftan) November 8, 2022
“It’s playing off the success of Beernaments, making beer part of the holiday,” Sarah Showak, associate marketing manager for Miller Lite, said in a press release. “Miller Lite stands for great taste and celebrating with people. The Keg Stand brings beer front and center to some of the year’s most special moments.”
To go along with the Keg Stand, Miller Lite is bringing back its popular Beernaments, which are tree ornaments you can drink beer out of, and increasing their carrying capacity to 12 oz. (the same as a standard can); as well as releasing a holiday knitwear collection that plays on the “ugly sweater” trend we’ve seen so much lately.
“Beernaments really resonated with people because they’re fun and simple,” Showak said. “Decorating a tree with your friends or family is really the epitome of Miller Time, and Beernaments are front and center on the tree.”
To keep them from selling out immediately like they did last year, Miller Lite is selling six packs of Beernaments in weekly batches through Dec. 6.
Regardless of the holidays they tie into, each promotion goes the extra mile for logo placement and novelty. They’re not the most practical items in the world, but they do have real use, and they’re conversation starters if absolutely nothing else.
