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Strategy March 07, 2019

There’s One American Blockbuster Left & It’s Got Promotional Products

Cups, hoodies, hats and tees are among the merch that offers a nostalgic appeal.

By  Christopher Ruvo

Kids these days. They’ll never know the joy of going to the local Blockbuster on a Friday night and finding that the flick you want to rent is in stock. Or conversely:

About 9,000 stores strong at its height, Blockbuster was pulverized into bankruptcy and near non-existence by online streaming. Still, the once proud video rental chain has not totally gone the way of the dinosaur and the 70s leisure suit. Nope, there are still two around – one in Australia, and one in Bend, OR. As The New York Times reported, the location in Australia is scheduled to close by the end of March.

That will make the store in Bend the last of its kind.

The Times piece has a bunch of great details on the Bend Blockbuster story, but what we found particularly interesting from a promotional products perspective is that the location sells Blockbuster branded merchandise. As you can glimpse in the tweet below, offerings include a $20 “Last Blockbuster” T-Shirt, a $40 hooded sweatshirt, a $15 cap and $10 silicone pint glasses.

Definitely some folks dig the merch.

For sure, there’s a nostalgia/retro factor to the merchandise. We can see that helping to make it increasingly popular and sought-after, especially as time goes on. Not to sound too highfalutin, but in a way, the desire for Blockbuster swag says something more general about promotional products – how they can do more than promote or show attachment to a brand. Indeed, they can also act as emotional conduits to particular moments and eras that one experienced or wished to have experienced -- even serve as cultural signposts for times gone by. Or, as we said in this article, one generation’s tchotchkes just might become subsequent generations’ valuable artifacts.

We’re probably way overthinking it. At the end of the day, though, we’d like to go to Bend, buy ourselves a Blockbuster hat, and then sip some Oregon craft brew from the Blockbuster silicone pint, thinking about the Friday nights of a simpler time when happiness was as easy as an in-stock copy of the latest new release.

Sentimentality aside, do yourself a favor and follow the last Blockbuster on Twitter. It’s not actually connected to the store in Bend, OR from what we can tell. Still, the account is pretty funny, though some of the content definitely qualifies as PG-13 and above. Couple sample tweets below: