Southwest's 'Shark Week' Promo Includes Fin Hats on Flights

It's funny that Shark Week always tends to happen during peak vacation time. I can think of a few years where I was watching some shark documentary minutes before I'd leave for the beach and spend all day in the ocean.

Southwest Airlines seems to be aware of this, too, and has partnered with Discovery and Shark Week for the last ten years, bringing vacation-goers and the Shark Week brand together.

This year, Southwest set up a pop-up experience at a gate in LaGuardia Airport to give away Shark Week promotional products to Southwest customers and have a little trivia fun with Shark Week host Dr. Craig O'Connell.

Travelers aboard flights to Dallas or Atlanta from LaGuardia received a branded Shark Week foam fin hat as they boarded the flight, and even got to meet "Chompy," the Shark Week mascot.

Happy #SharkWeek! We invited @TheSharkDoctor, a shark conservationist and TV host, to surprise a flight of Customers and share exciting shark facts. Don’t forget to catch @SharkWeek at 8p on @Discovery, and past Shark Week content on our free Inflight Entertainment Portal! pic.twitter.com/25BE5fXFDY

— Southwest Airlines (@SouthwestAir) July 24, 2023

Shark Week has always been a good occasion for creative promotional products. Last year, the American Red Cross did a promo where donors would receive a special (and sort of morbid) Shark Week-themed T-shirt that says "Give Blood" with a drop design filled with sharks.

There were also giveaways on Discovery's site in recent years that featured items like YETI cooler bags, wagons, sunglasses, hats, and more.

I'm not sure what it is specifically about Shark Week that gets everyone so excited, or at least more excited beyond the other programming Discovery runs all year long. Maybe it's the fact that it's only confined to one week, so people know there's that sweet exclusivity factor.

Either way, choosing fun ways to celebrate each year and collaborating with different brands that make sense is smart on Discovery's part. There's a reason we all know about Shark Week perhaps more than any other annual programming block, right?