The Unexpected Success Of Branded Merchandise In Viral Marketing Campaigns

Branded merchandise has evolved dramatically. The era of generic logo pens and giveaway caps at conferences is firmly in the past. In 2025, branded merch is smarter, more creative, and tailored to connect with specific, often highly niche, audiences. From unexpected product drops to merch that taps directly into internet culture, brands are using physical items to spark conversations, build loyalty, and go viral. In this piece, we're exploring some of the most memorable recent examples - and highlighting the insights we can apply to our own campaigns to make a lasting impact.

The Stanley Tumbler That Survived A Car Fire

In November 2023, an unexpected hero rose out of a car fire’s ashes: a Stanley tumbler that simply couldn’t be taken out by the flames.

Gathering 60 million views on TikTok in short succession, a viral video showed the aftermath of a woman’s damaged vehicle with the caption: ‘everybody is so concerned if the Stanley spills but what else? It was in a fire yesterday and it still has ice in it.’

Stanley was quick to make the most of this unexpected global attention, with global president Terence Reilly responding to the woman’s video saying that they were going to send her more Stanley cups, as well as replace her car. While this is a viral marketing campaign that happened entirely by accident, there’s a powerful lesson here for all of us: authenticity is crucial. This moment cut through the online clamour in many ways simply because it was real, not planned or scripted. This genuine user experience, paired with the brand’s quick and creative response, shows how viral moments can’t always be manufactured, but the opportunities for them can certainly be taken advantage of. 

SE7EN’s Giveaway Campaign

When it comes to viral marketing, sometimes it’s better to go grassroots. That’s exactly how Australian streetwear brand SE7EN decided to approach their most recent branded merchandising campaign. Turning up to a Geelong high school campus and taking its students by surprise, SE7EN came equipped with $10,000 worth of free products that quickly sent students into a frenzy. 

That $10,000 worth of branded merchandising product quickly delivered a significant ROI. With videos from the event popping up all over social media platforms, user-generated content was able to connect directly with other audience members in their shared demographic. This meant that the buzz from the in-person event quickly translated into online buzz, with SE7EN working to capture their core audience and speak to them in a manner that cut through.

Our takeaway? If your audience won’t come to you, branded merchandising can be used to create viral marketing opportunities if you bring them the goods instead. Physical surprise campaigns can not only generate real-world buzz, but contribute to a huge opportunity for online virality. 

Other Key Takeaways

There’s one crucial factor that’s clear across many successful branded merchandising marketing campaigns: the branded merch isn’t an afterthought. It’s the star of the campaign. Through both incidental and planned campaigns, merch that’s genuinely designed to connect with a specific target audience can be used to build relationships, tell stories, and generate communities. 

The next time you’re looking at branded merchandising to fuel the potential for viral marketing, keep in mind:

• Authenticity wins - with smart and insightful modern audiences who can spot inauthentic positioning a mile away, leaning into authenticity can pay off time and time again.
• Merchandising speaks to identity - how can your branded merchandise speak to who your consumers desire to be, or how they express who they are? When branded merchandising can tap into personal identity, it moves far beyond mere object status.
• Surprise and delight are still effective - the SE7EN example is a perfect example of using the elements of surprise and delight to immediately win over significant audiences. By combining these elements with a strong brand and effective merch, campaigns can become impossible to ignore when you’re the brand’s target demographic. 

Conclusion

Far from being a marketing accessory, branded merchandise can now be the cornerstone of viral marketing plays. At Brandconnect, we create unique opportunities for everyday branded merchandise to fuel unforgettable brand marketing opportunities. Find the perfect branded merchandising product to fuel your brand’s virality across our innovative range - and get ready for the likes to flood in!