How Hot Dog Promos Create Opportunities for Creative Apparel, Packaging

Brendan Menapace

Philadelphia sports fans are passionate. Don’t believe me? There are videos of Eagles fans throwing snowballs and batteries at Santa Claus. Philadelphia fan aggression is an old cliche (one we typically embrace).

Dietz & Watson, a Philadelphia manufacturer of meats and cheeses, was capitalizing on the current Eagles excitement in Philly by going around and handing out branded merchandise, as well as special hot dogs called “bird dogs.”

They have a green bun because, well, go Birds.

It wasn’t just the hot dog. The apparel that Dietz & Watson gave out at each stop around the city were equal parts Eagles gear and promotional items, making it much more likely that fans wear the shirts and hats on game day. Adding a local business just adds another local flavor (literally).

The idea of a branded hot dog is fun itself, but it creates an opportunity for additional branding. Going beyond apparel, in the case of the Eagles tie-in, other sports teams like the Milwaukee Bucks have used hot dogs as a way to get creative with packaging.

One Bucks fan caught a hot dog in the arena and, originally thinking he had just caught a T-shirt, noticed the packaging.

Anything you can fire out of a cannon becomes a fun keepsake. Just make sure you’re a little safer than the Phillies Phanatic was with his hot dog launcher. No one wants to get injured by a promotional campaign.

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