How Two Brands Can Create a Symbiotic, Collaborative Promotion Together

We promise this is not a Whataburger site now. We've only been once, and truth be told, the burger didn't change our lives. Perfectly solid, but we weren't floating off the seat or anything.

That said, we've got a lot of love for their ability to craft a good promotional campaign. Most recently, we compared their recent promo output to that of B.J. Novak's "Chain" restaurant, where you needed to sign up to get a code just to shop, and that code still has not arrived more than a week later.

What Whataburger is doing now is another branded collaboration with the outdoor brand Academy and Magellan Outdoors, where the Whataburger color scheme and logo motifs will go on products like fishing shirts, swim trunks, coolers, and more. It's a tie-in with two well-known Texas brands just in time for the Summer.

https://twitter.com/DallasTexasTV/status/1643985267299323905

The two brands did this in 2021, and clearly it went over well enough to bring it back.

"After seeing the appetite from the first Whataburger x Magellan Outdoors collection, we wanted to reunite the two beloved Texas traditions for an even bigger and better line," Lawrence Lobpries, Academy Sports + Outdoors senior Vice President of marketing, said, according to KSAT. "For active families who are craving summer fun, this special collection is here to fuel your next pool party, corn hole matchup or day on the water."

ORANGE NEVER LOOKED SO GOOD! Whataburger has once again partnered with Academy to release their second exclusive Magellan Outdoors x Whataburger cobranded apparel and product line.

https://t.co/q3tpyMmk3K

— KYTX CBS19 (@kytxcbs19) April 7, 2023

To really rope in the Whataburger brand, customers who eat at Whataburger from April 6-14 will receive a discount code for the collection. Conversely, shoppers at Academy can scan a QR code to receive free menu items at Whataburger. It really is a nice symbiotic relationship.

"These two brands are a great fit," Whataburger executive vice president and chief marketing officer Rich Scheffler said, according to KSAT. "It's been fun to work on a second campaign with Academy and their Magellan Outdoors retail line. The result is an extensive lineup of apparel and products featuring exclusive Whataburger designs that will help take your family outing to a whole new level."

LOCAL: Whataburger and Academy Sports + Outdoors released the Magellan Outdoors x Whataburger co-branded line that includes shirts, shorts, caps, drinkware, bikes and outdoor games. The products are for children, women and men. #sanantonio https://t.co/QMZhM87zeJ

— SND Dev (@snddev) April 6, 2023

This promotion does a few things very well. First, it captures local pride by combining two well-known brands, and uses them both equally. It incentivizes shopping at both Whataburger and Academy, in addition to just getting the branded products. Finally, it takes the idea of two things seemingly unrelated – fast food and outdoor products – and combines them using creative graphic design and attention to detail.