• by Aaron Baar , February 27, 2009

The blanket with arms has captured not only the public's attention like few other products in recent memory: In addition to the late-night comedian jokes and Facebook fan pages, the product has found its way onto the pages of The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Advertising Age.

"It does get an overwhelming amount of press, so that you get kind of nauseated hearing about it," says Laura Ries, president of brand consultant Ries & Ries, and author of the book The Death of Advertising and the Rise of PR.

Just as the Snuggie owes a great deal of its success to the recession--cheap ad prices enable prime-time ad buys, and its marketing message plays on consumers trying to save costs on heating--the retrenchment of marketers has led to a dearth of coverage in newspapers' business sections and in trade publications, leaving the Snuggie one of only a few bright spots out there.

"It's a classic story of a little product that could make it, and became a huge success," Ries says. "And people like that."

Of course, the Snuggie's success isn't just based on stories in the marketing trade press. The Snuggie is a classic case of "right product, with the right name at the right time," Ries says. "This would have been a big story regardless," she says.

The challenge now, of course, will be for the company to turn product momentum into a sustainable brand. Many companies have garnered favorable press coverage in their early days (Starbucks and Google, to name two), but turning that into a long-term company strategy can be tricky. "You can maintain a brand, but you can't do it by major expansion," Ries says. "Crocs made too many [variations]. They tried to be fashionable. ... I don't think a Snuggie sweater [would be as successful]."

In fact, the company may want to tamp down interest to ensure long-term success. "If they're available everywhere, it will lose some of its appeal," Ries says.

It's unclear what Snuggie's next big move is, and only time will tell whether the company will become a large, sustainable brand. (A representative for Snuggie parent Allstar Products Group did not return a phone call.) But if the past is any example, there is one other product that captured the public's imagination with whimsy during a time of economic crisis: the Pet Rock.