There have been so many good Oscar Mayer promos over time. To start, there’s obviously the Weinermobile, which is possibly the most famous hot dog-shaped vehicle known to man. On a smaller scale, they’ve done fun things like a bologna skincare face mask.
The latest must-have accessory from arguably the biggest name in hot dogs (and hot dog-shaped things) is a hot dog-shaped straw. It’s simple, but clearly effective, as it sold out within nine minutes.
Oscar Mayer Curses Us With a Hot Dog Straw https://t.co/iOfIAqKRqr pic.twitter.com/XJamTDQfBt
— The Takeout (@thetakeout) August 22, 2023
The company announced this week that it would offer the product as a giveaway online, where people could pre-order them for free. In less than 10 minutes, Tuesday’s allotment sold out. The same thing happened yesterday.
The plan is to give out hundreds of them, an Oscar Mayer spokesperson told MarketWatch, with more giveaways planned. That’s a smart way to do it: Create demand with small batches, but have plenty of opportunities to try to get one (i.e. go to the Oscar Mayer social media pages and websites).
The influence came from seeing someone take a real hot dog and turn it into a straw at a baseball game last year, which Oscar Mayer called a “key moment in hot dog history,” according to Today.com.
Oscar Mayer announced it was commemorating a “key moment in hot dog history” by introducing its own version of the hot dog straw. https://t.co/PhAWhtG3wv
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) August 23, 2023
“The video sparked nationwide shock and awe that one would use a hot dog as a straw, let alone as a vessel to enjoy an ice-cold beer,” Oscar Mayer said in a statement to Today.
And now they’re the must-have item for the end of the summer. The host of one sports show said that she would set an alarm for midnight just so she could try to get one.
I will get an Oscar Mayer Hot Dog Straw if it’s the last thing I do. pic.twitter.com/7KvAGu17Rj
— Lucy Burdge (@LucilleBurdge) August 24, 2023
“While the viral ‘Hot Dog Straw’ divided the internet, we salute the brave man who paved the way to enjoy his hot dog as he wishes,” Kelsey Rice, associate director of Oscar Mayer said, according to Today. “Taking inspiration from a classic Oscar Mayer dog, the silicone Hot Dog Straw is designed for optimal sipping, and we hope it brings a friendly reminder that we don’t need to take enjoying a delicious hot dog seriously. Some things are just meant to be fun.”
That sentiment goes for promotional products, too. The same way Oscar Mayer looked at this situation, which, frankly, is disgusting, and thought “we can turn this into something good,” applies to promotional products distributors, too. It’s sort of like the idea that there’s no such thing as bad publicity. If people are talking about something or taking extra notice of something going on, there’s potential to turn it into something. The instinct might be to turn away from it, but take a step back and try to look at it from a different perspective. A branding perspective.
At one point, the idea to turn a hot dog into a car seemed pretty far-fetched. But here we are.
