From McDonald’s chicken nugget body pillows and Panda Express adult onesies, to USPS-themed phone cases and “Pancake Wear” from IHOP, brands looking for buzz in recent years have turned to limited-edition product collections.

The latest is bakery-café chain Panera Bread; last week, it unveiled a “Swim Soup Collection” e-commerce site with two one-pieces, two pairs of trunks and a bread bowl-shaped float for sale. In a message on the site, the company said the merch recognized customers who continued to order hot soup, even during the summer months: “To the year-round soup aficionados out there: we see you, and we celebrate you.”

Wear your love for Broccoli Cheddar Soup on your body. Like for real… pic.twitter.com/5ChL6B0gO4

— Panera Bread (@panerabread) July 8, 2021

The limited-edition products are already sold out. So, what’s the true value of a short-lived stunt with branded merch, and what should companies know before launching one? Margo Kahnrose, chief marketing officer of commerce intelligence platform Skai, offers her insights.

“If [brands] can get people to react to their product or marketing, they tap into consumers’ curiosity and can generate a pretty powerful and immediate bump in sales.” Margo Kahnrose, Skai

Q: What’s the definition of a brand stunt?

A: It’s when a brand makes a marketing or product move to attract the attention of consumers and create buzz. This can come in many forms: a quirky product launch, an unexpected activation or a social media campaign.

Q: What’s the core strategy behind a stunt? Does the brand have to have a certain cachet for it to be successful?

A: It’s difficult for brands to break through the noise today and earn mindshare from busy, multitasking consumers. One-way communication still exists in advertising, but it only goes so far in terms of making an impact, so it’s more appropriate for slow and steady growth. Increasingly, time is of the essence for brands, so they’re looking for ways to growth-hack their way forward. That’s where stunts come in — the currency is actual engagement and the goal is to generate interaction, both between the brand and its customer base, and between those customers and their own audiences. If they can get people to react to their product or marketing, they tap into consumers’ curiosity and can generate a pretty powerful and immediate bump in sales. If your product also delivers, you gain repeat customers and lifetime value.

Brand identity definitely plays into whether or not a stunt will be successful — it’s important to be perceived as authentic — but I don’t think it’s about pre-established cachet. It really comes down to execution.

Q: They tend to be short-lived, so where’s the valuable impact for a brand?

A: Stunts tend to generate conversation on social media, so even if they’re relatively short-lived in execution, the conversations have shelf-life. Hashtags and tagged brand names create buzz on social, and earned media (publicity earned through efforts other than paid ads) helps with SEO. The trick is knowing how to leverage momentum and continue to engage the audiences whose attention a brand has just earned. Once a brand has the stage, there’s a wealth of intelligence in the form of internal and external data from which to make future decisions. But brands need to be insights-driven in the first place, with a solid set of tools and practices that position them to make use of the window of opportunity that follows a stunt, in order to turn short-term buzz into sustainable growth.

Q: What should a brand — and its promo distributor — consider before a stunt?

A: First, it’s important to think about authenticity. Make sure a stunt matches up with the brand’s DNA. It should feel like an extension of the brand and goals, rather than something that’s too far disconnected. This ties into the broader message: What does it do for the brand, and how does it tie back? Does it double down on the brand’s commitment to a certain group or product attribute? Work that into the stunt so the vision and goals are clear.

It should also give the target audience something new or different to experience, like a flavor, product or store/retail experience. That’s critical to generating buzz.

Also consider the ROI of the stunt and its potential future impact. Will it really move the needle for sales? Not every stunt has to have a direct correlation to revenue, but considering its value should be a big part of the conversation. Think about the intention and have a plan for measuring success; maybe it’s more engagement on Instagram, or higher sales. Set up measurement criteria before the stunt is live, not after.

Finally, get the best bang for the brand’s buck by leveraging it on all channels. This will make sure the message is cohesive and also help track sentiment and start conversations across different platforms.