3foldComm

The Snuggie was, in my observation, easily one of the most popular gifts this 2009 holiday season. 3Folders prove my theory correct—with three of us returning to the office this week with Snuggies in tow. Why? And what can we learn from this phenomenon that’s captured the attention of everyone from Ellen Degeneres to Jay Leno to over 20 million average Joe Shmoes?

Lesson #1: A Name is not Just a Name

Fact: The Snuggie is an imposter. In fact, the Freedom Blanket and The Slanket came out first. But, honestly- who would buy a product called The Freedom Blanket? The name makes me think of wrapping myself in a fuzzy flag, or cuddling with Betsy Ross. No amount of marketing can take a weak brand name from “so-so” to successful.

Lesson #2: Find your Connectors

I’m going to go out on a limb here. Without seeing sales figures yet, I would guess young people, particularly teens and college students, fueled the Snuggie fire. The infomercial, created by Allstar Products Group, was intentionally made to be humorous. Young people quickly began mocking the commercial in YouTube spots, of which there are now over 300 parodies. At the same time, the advertising displayed people of all different ages using the Snuggie in a variety of ways. The result, everyone from kids to seniors thought the Snuggie could be a funny (and practical) gift for the winter season.

Lesson #3: Offer Something Unique

As Malcom Gladwell points out in his book The Tipping Point, a surge in sales can often happen when a product is only offered to boutique stores. (ex: Airwalk tennis shoes). For much of 2009, the Snuggie was only offered online or by phone. This fall, the product was released to mainstream stores in colors not offered before—pink and leopard print being the most popular. The Christmas sales surge occurred because of an entire year of publicity, PLUS, introducing a “new” product selection to stores across the country. (Sidenote: My prediction is, like Airwalk, the Snuggie’s sales will now quickly decline after reaching its peak popularity.)

Lesson #4: The Price is Right

This lesson is simple: the Slanket and Freedom Blanket were priced too high for a slow economy. At $14.99 or two for $20, the Snuggie captured cheapskates hearts. This Newsweek writer nailed it- a recession combined with cold weather are just the right ingredients for a crappy piece of felt to surge to popularity. (If you want a good laugh, view the article for an embedded video where the reporter has people in Times Square compare the Snuggie and its competitor, the Slanket.) Sometimes, marketers just get lucky…if you can call the recession luck.

For a few other good Snuggie reads, check out: this AdAge article, and this New York Times article.