Minnesota Cookie Company Partners with The Black Keys for Combination Concert T-shirt

We love a good co-branded piece of merchandise, especially when it allows a smaller business to piggyback on the success of a larger, more established brand. That's why some promotional campaigns benefit from high-profile brands like electronics or apparel.

At the Minnesota State Fair, Sweet Martha's Cookie Jar is selling co-branded T-shirts with the fair's headlining musical act, The Black Keys.

Sweet Martha’s Cookie Jar announced new merchandise ahead of the Minnesota State Fair, including an exclusive T-shirt for the opening night of the Grandstand concert series. https://t.co/nFP9B8EeDb

— FOX 9 (@FOX9) August 15, 2023

According to Fox 9, the shirt is exclusive to merchandise stores inside the Grandstand at the fair, with only 250 available.

"The response we've received for our merchandise has been amazing," Martha Rossini, co-founder of Sweet Martha's Cookie Jar, told Fox 9. "To show our appreciation for the support we've received and our love of the Great Minnesota Get-Together, we wanted to offer something extra special for our customers and fans of The Black Keys by offering a T-shirt that is only available for one night at the Fair."

"One night only" is all you really need to say anymore to be sure that your promotion will be a success. Concert T-shirts are already popular as souvenirs from a night out, but if you can add in local flair by including a beloved business, and add even more specificity to an event, then you have a slam dunk.

Distributors and apparel decorators can take note here about how two logos can share the "ad space" of the T-shirt. They can play off of one another, borrow motifs from one another, and tie it all in to create a cohesive design. It's equal parts Sweet Martha's, Black Keys, and Minnesota State Fair, without having to say too much or being congested.