• by Teresa Buyikian , 2 hours ago

Auntie Anne’s is jumping on the Y2K nostalgia trend with its latest holiday promotion.

This week the brand rolls out its Sparkleberry Lemonade, which is available in two varieties: Sparkleberry Spritz with Sprite original lemonade and blueberry flavor, and the Sparkleberry Mixer, which the brand describes as a “berry twist” on the original lemonade. Both brightly colored drinks contain food-safe edible glitter, which “brings the shine of Y2K back to this holiday season.”

To promote the launch, the company plays off the proliferation of sappy holiday TV movie rom-coms with its Sparkleberry Smittens. The tri-mitten set contains two individual mittens along with a third which is “designed to keep your hands warm while you sip Auntie Anne’s new Sparkleberry Lemonade, without ever letting go of your favorite person.”

“The mall has always been Auntie Anne’s natural habitat, so we wanted to celebrate the era when a trip to the food court and a department store photo shoot were peak holiday moments,” says Nathan Baldwin, chief brand officer at Auntie Anne’s, in a press release. “The Sparkleberry Smittens and new lemonade products bring back that feeling as a reminder of where we came from and why people still love us today.”

A series of online ads reminiscent of a Y2K infomercial promote the $24.99 mitten set. A matching Together Tether, which is an extremely long Auntie Anne’s scarf big enough for two, is also available for $19.99. Both are for sale on the GetSmitten.shop while supplies last. 

The ads also prompt consumers to call 844-4-SMITTEN, where they can receive a promo code to get the Together Tether scarf for free with a Sparkleberry Smittens purchase. An informercial-style video will also run on the brand’s social media platforms.