The majority of promo campaigns are for companies to show a little extra appreciation to their employees with branded merch or to attract new customers with a giveaway at an event – but when a brand goes above and beyond with creative products, clever design or something that’s just plain funny, they deserve an extra little bit of recognition.

Welcome to Best in Branding, a new series from ASI Media that spotlights merch initiatives that have made a real impact. Here are a few of my recent favorites:

Belgian Boys’ Viral Pink Puffer Tote

Belgian Boys became the talk of the town at a natural foods expo in the spring – and no, it wasn’t because they were giving away waffles. The waffle brand’s booth had lines wrapped around the show floor – and needed multiple security guards – as attendees collected hot pink puffer tote bags from the Belgian Boys employees showing off their products. And though the show is long over, the brand now has a waitlist for possible future puffer tote production.

Promo Takeaway: Every brand’s goal is to have that viral, everywhere product, and this one was certainly more eye-catching than most. But if you look at the bag, there’s no obvious Belgian Boys branding on the outside – instead, it’s on the inside liner. Despite the tote itself being anything but inconspicuous because of the Belgian Boys’ vibrant pink brand colors, the branding was more subtle, and that’s been a growing trend across the industry. Not everyone wants a giant logo plastered across their merch, but if it’s a product that’s cool enough for consumers to use regularly and attention-grabbing enough that passersby will ask about it, the brand behind it will absolutely still get its name out there. If anyone out there wants to send me one of these…

QDOBA’s Chips & Queso Grad Cap

In honor of graduation season, fast-casual Mexican chain QDOBA unveiled a promo giveaway perfect for providing grads and their friends with snacks during a three-hour commencement ceremony: a graduation cap custom-designed to hold the wearer’s stash of chips and queso. Even better, sweepstakes winners would also receive free QDOBA for a year.

Promo Takeaways: Sometimes, weird wins. Promo associated with sweepstakes can spur online engagement if entrants have to comment or share to win, and in a sea of grad-themed promotions this time of year, QDOBA’s stands out as simultaneously on theme and a little bit out there. One suggestion, though – I haven’t seen anything about the winners online, even though the company’s press release said the giveaway ended a month ago. Collecting pictures from parties where QDOBA’s winners had guests chip-and-dipping off their heads in grad gowns? Now that would be social media gold.

Limited-Edition Philly Phanatic Bats

The New Era Phillies Team Store – the team’s store inside Citizens Bank Park, where the Phillies play – released a limited-edition trophy bat featuring the fuzzy face of the team’s mascot, the Phillie Phanatic. Dubbed “Phuzzy Phanatic” bats, the store offered 25 of them for the cool price of $799.99.

Promo Takeaway: Never underestimate the value of exclusivity. Despite a ton of comments in the store’s original Instagram post expressing disbelief at the bat’s hefty price tag of $800, the bats sold out the same morning that they went on sale. At least one of them is already on the resale market for nearly triple that – but the quick sellout just goes to show that fans will shell out big bucks for something special from their favorite brands.

BIC Soleil’s Sponsorship of the Pro Volleyball Federation’s Championship Tournament

Razor brand BIC Soleil was the title sponsor of the Pro Volleyball Federation’s (PVF) – the women’s professional indoor volleyball league in the United States – championship tournament last month. For BIC Soleil, the sponsorship included plenty of signage around the Nevada arena where the tournament played, as well as exclusive opportunities for audiences to win BIC x PVF merchandise.

Promo Takeaway: Everyone loves a good pun – and names that work together make for excellent collabs. (Think WNBA star Angel Reese and Reese’s, for example). This one slides a bit more under the radar, but in case you didn’t know, there’s a volleyball play called a “bic” – short for back-row attack. “The bic is designed to surprise opponents,” Karen Schwartz, global VP of blade excellence at BIC, told Marketing Brew. “You don’t see it coming, and that’s sort of like our Soleil razors.” Any brand can look for similar opportunities, regardless of their industry, to initiate a collaboration or merch line.

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