The latest Dunkin’ promotional merchandise drop is a culmination of three big trends we’re seeing right now in branded merchandise:
- Limited run to drive hype via exclusivity
- Collaborating with celebrities for their own branded lines
- TikTok stars using their fame to generate e-commerce revenue
Dunkin’s new merchandise capsule is a partnership with TikTok personality Charli D’Amelio, the platform’s most-followed creator with more than 111.6 million followers.
This is the second time Dunkin’ has worked with D’Amelio, after releasing a signature drink last year. But the “Charli x Dunkin’” line is its first celebrity merchandise partnership.
“Our fans can’t get enough of the genuine love between Charli and Dunkin’, so creating the Charli x Dunkin’ merch collection felt like the perfect next step in our relationship,” said Kemma Befalls, brand engagement manager at Dunkin’, in a press release. “This collection is our way of sprinkling more Charli and Dunkin’ love onto our fans. We worked hand-in-hand with Charli to bring her signature look into each accessory so our fans can sip their Charli Cold Foam in style this spring.”
It’s reminiscent of McDonald’s recent branded apparel drops that coincided with special menu items from stars like Travis Scott and J Balvin. Each of those releases came with an entire webstore of products across a huge price range.
Similarly, the Charli x Dunkin’ products range from $16 to $100, with a line that includes:
- A new version of the Dunkin’-branded onesie
- A sparkle tumbler
- A puffer iPhone Case
- An oversized scrunchie set
- Shoelaces
- A keychain
- A cold brew tap
https://twitter.com/chvrliupdates/status/1376912315677806595
It’s also the latest example of how TikTok creators are monetizing their fame, particularly through merchandise. Some have gone the route of selling directly through a e-commerce capabilities within the app. Others are likely going to follow D’Amelio’s example here, working with existing brands who want to partner with the app’s top voices.
“Dunkin’ is one of the savviest brands around,” said Joshua White, senior vice president of strategic partnerships for BAMKO, the promo distributor behind the merchandise collection. “They’ve got an incredibly intuitive understanding of how to use social media with branded merchandise to connect with and activate their audience. Dunkin’ has a uniquely multi-dimensional view of how to generate powerful brand engagement, a perspective that allows them to execute with strategic precision to get exponentially better results. They’re sort of a perfect partner for a company like ours and it’s just an absolute joy to work with customers who can see the entire field of play and understand how to leverage their brand to engage with their customers in a powerful way.”
The branded line goes live today at 3 p.m. Eastern on ShopDunkin.com, and is sure to sell out quickly based on D’Amelio’s enormous web presence and Dunkin’s history of successful branded drops.
