Holiday promotions can be huge for brands. Taco Bell, for example, pulled all the stops for its holiday merchandise line. Even Hidden Valley showed us that ranch can be as festive as egg nog in its holiday collection (although we do not recommend serving spiked ranch at your holiday party).
Sports teams, however, have been slow to get in on the holiday fun. That’s why our promo senses were tingling when we received word that the Cleveland Cavaliers are not only hosting “A Christmas Story” night, but that the accompanying promotions are also a huge win.
If you’re unfamiliar with “A Christmas Story,” we seriously suggest you take the rest of the day off and go stream it. In the meantime, we’ll just inform you that the gold leg lamp is iconic, and therefore what the Cavs did for their promotional T-shirt giveaway is a true champion.
The burgundy T-shirt features the team’s own take on the leg lamp, complete with branded Cavs shorts and shoes. The text is simple, and reads “A Christmas Story Night 2018” in a clean, yet eye-catching font.
The event will also give fans the chance to purchase a wine and gold ugly sweater printed basketball, which we think is a clever way to take advantage of the ugly sweater trend.
“A Christmas Story” night will take place during the Dec. 12 game against the New York Knicks, and we have no doubt this promotional event will be a huge success and generate buzz online.
For your next holiday promotional event, consider taking a page out of the Cavs’ playbook. If you’re passionate about a pop culture reference, there’s no harm in going all in on it for your brand. All you need is a small connection. For the Cavaliers, their connection to the film has to do with its setting: Cleveland.
