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Bush\u2019s is selling Halloween costumes this year. Yes, the bean company. And it\u2019s not even the brand\u2019s first foray into fashion.<\/p>\n
The company has been in the merch game for a while, according to Kate Rafferty, its consumer experience brand manager. It has a \u201cvisitor center\u201d in its home state of Tennessee that has stocked \u201cbean merch,\u201d as she called it, since it opened its doors in June 2010.<\/p>\n
A couple of years ago, Bush\u2019s took that business online, selling items from clothes to doormats to mints. The DTC shop really found its footing this year, she said, when Bush\u2019s started dropping merch tied to specific holidays when \u201cbean usage\u201d is high. Recent drops have included a summer collection with some items tied to Father\u2019s Day, a back-to-school collection, and the Halloween one.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you think of when you think of summer? Of course, you think of baked beans\u2014eating outside and grilling,\u201d Rafferty told us. \u201cWe\u2019ve created this key-holiday strategy, and I think that\u2019s really created some fun relevance and conversation for people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bush\u2019s treats the merch more as a marketing channel than a revenue stream, according to Rafferty, one that helps it \u201cspread some joy\u201d and ideally connect with younger consumers.<\/p>\n
Branded merch isn\u2019t a new concept, and it\u2019s particularly popular with food companies. Brands ranging from Banza to Dunkin\u2019 to Panera have created their own clothing over the past few years.<\/p>\n
For marketers, it can serve different purposes. While merch can drive online chatter, it\u2019s also a way for brands to collect customer data, something that\u2019s become increasingly important as third-party identifiers become harder to come by.<\/p>\n
At Bush\u2019s, conversation around the products is an important indicator of success, according to Rafferty. There seems to be no shortage of organic content around Bush\u2019s. On #beantok, which has 84 million views, creators have posted hauls from the visitor center and made beats using its cans.<\/p>\n
On Instagram, users will often leave comments with suggestions for new merch, Rafferty said, requesting everything from different styles of AirPods cases to bedding for dorm rooms (because nothing screams \u201cI\u2019m a cool roommate\u201d more than sheets covered in beans).<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe\u2019ve always taken the position of, beans bring people joy and happiness,\u201d she said. \u201cWe take our beans seriously, and the quality of our beans seriously, but we take our marketing with a lot of joy and humor, because we think that that\u2019s what brings people a smile. When you\u2019re eating beans and having those meals with your family, that\u2019s what it\u2019s all about. Bush\u2019s has always been about that humor, so it just makes sense.\u201d<\/p>\n