• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, June 15, 2019

Well, it has certainly been a week chock full of gimmicky marketing maneuvers. 

Let me rephrase that. I mean a week chock filled with creatively driven consumer experiences, piggybacking on high-impact content and events of the moment. Brilliant!

The Upside Down Whopper tie-in to the Netflix show “Stranger Things” features special 1980’s-style packaging that will contain Whoppers, which are basically the same except the top and bottom portions of the bun switch places. 

Bud Light got into the act with a “special batch” of the beer brand dubbed “Gloria Brew,” a nod to the Stanley Cup winning St. Louis Blues and their unofficial anthem, “Gloria.”

Of course, there will be special-limited edition packaging that Blues fans will no doubt cherish forever. A special visit by the team to the brewery over the weekend punctuates the hoopla. 

Not to be outdone, New Balance in partnership with Mediahub, placed a well-timed, well-located “Board Man Gets Titles” billboard in Toronto near the Scotiabank Arena, where thousands of fans were celebrating in the streets Thursday night after the Toronto Raptors won their first NBA championship.

The “Board Man” in question was MVP Raptors star Kawhi Leonard whose countenance was front-and-center on the billboard donning (of course) his New Balance gear. Some new merchandise is also in the works. Raptors fans will probably go ga-ga over it. 

Gimmicky? No question, especially if you don’t have skin in the game.

Maybe someday, the Nets will win the NBA Championship and Brooklyn Brewery will come out with a special batch of “Something To Lean On” brew. 

Now that would be something to celebrate.