This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s spring editorial intern Jeanny Sánchez Gómez. Find them on Instagram at @jeanny_sanchez. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
There are many times when brand collaborations make sense, like Doritos and Taco Bell; who doesn’t crave a Doritos Loco Taco occasionally? But for every great idea, there is a horrible idea that leaves you thinking, “Who could have possibly approved this?” With reviews of people reviewing the Crumbl cookie collaboration with the Kardashians, let’s remember some of the worst brand collaborations the internet has seen.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I can understand why some brands are coming up with absurd collaborations. If it were not for the pure shock value of some of these collaborations, I probably wouldn’t have been aware of these brands, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it makes me want to buy from them. Sometimes, I will see an ad for a confusing collaboration and it leaves me wondering who this product is for since most of the time, the two brands coming together have little to no overlap.
Kardashians and Crumbl
Starting with the most recent and confusing collaboration is the Crumbl Cookie and Kardashian crossover. With their weekly changing flavors, Crumbl does a really good job at staying relevant, with many influencers constantly reviewing their flavors every week. So why did they choose the Kardashians? The “Iconic family meets iconic desserts − it just makes sense”, stated Crumbl’s Co-Founder Sawyer Hemsley in a news release, but does it? Besides it coinciding with the finale of season 6 of The Kardashians on Hulu, what do these two brands have in common? Not much, if you ask most of the internet, but props to them because it brought more attention to them during this Kardashian cookie takeover.
Native and Girl Scout cookies
Next up is a brand that is known for its clean, simple, and effective personal wash and deodorant items and the well-loved Girl Scout Cookies. Besides the fact that most people buy these two items when they run out because they are essential for self-care, I don’t see much overlap in their demographic. Personally, I would much rather eat some Peanut Butter cookies than smell like one, but maybe that’s just me.
Puma shoes and Cheeto
If you are a sneakerhead, I can possibly understand the appeal of this collaboration. Bright orange shoes with some incorporated cheetah print- I know somewhere out there, someone is probably making them look really cool as part of an outfit, but looking at them online, it almost feels like a joke. Again, it’s one of those collaborations that I see and think, who is wearing this? While the shoes themselves seem to be aimed towards kids, as they are only available in Big Kid sizes, it still confuses me as to how this idea came to be.
Pringles and caviar
Possibly on the most opposite side of a refined pallet sit these two items. A can of Pringles that, depending on where you live, is probably a pretty cheap snack, and caviar, a luxury food that to me feels like it shouldn’t be in the same sentence as Pringles, let alone on top of one. With a lot of the promotion looking very fancy and bougie, I just can’t wrap my head around these two things being paired together. As someone who has never had caviar, I can’t say whether it’s something that would taste good, but I sure do wonder.
Oreos and Lady Gaga
While collaborating with artists isn’t out of the ordinary for the iconic cookie, the Lady Gaga “Chromatica” fusion fueled an online frenzy. Not keeping track of Lady Gaga, I remember realizing she was dropping a new album when I saw the Oreos in stores and had to look it up. I will say that out of the collaborations I mention in this article, this one is my favorite. Again, it makes no sense, but it is also two brands that are deeply loved and have a cult following, so of course, they teamed up.
Velveeta Nail Polish
When most people think of Velveeta, they think of yummy mac and cheese. What they’re not thinking of? A Creamy, cheese-scented nail polish, but thanks to Nails Inc., that’s all I can associate Velveeta with. Now, whether or not that was either of the brands’ intentions, it’s what they accomplished. For better or for worse, the only thing I can think of when I think of these two brands is the Velveeta nail polish, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to buy something from them without this in mind.
Wicked and Literally Anyone
During the much-anticipated release of Wicked, throughout the months leading to the release and even after, everywhere I went, there wasn’t one single item that did not have a Wicked theme on it. Mostly impressive that the movie was able to collaborate with so many different brands at some point; it became ridiculous when I couldn’t even go down the cereal aisle without seeing a green and pink box. All in all, most of the collaborations were great, and many made sense; the sheer quantity is what makes this collaboration mind-boggling.
Gucci and Xbox
Two more brands that seemingly have nothing to do with each other decided that the best way to celebrate their respective birthdays was by collaborating on some items. While I can see the appeal of having a Gucci-branded Xbox controller, it also seems unnecessary. With Gucci being a high-quality fashion brand and Xbox being an item that could be seen in most people’s homes, it skews the accessibility of both. While not the worst collab out there, it’s a surprising one.
Crocs and Balenciaga
The last collaboration I’ll mention is Crocs and Balenciaga. Crocs is a brand known for being affordable, although some of the recent prices have not seemed that affordable, and Balenciaga is another high-fashion brand that when you mesh the two things together, defeats Crocs’ goal of being affordable. Aside from being a walking contradiction, coming up with high-heeled Crocs feels illegal.
While there are so many more goofy collaborations out there, as much as I love to hate them, they still do a great job of getting people to talk about their brands. Whether or not people are buying these items, at the end of the day these brands are still getting the recognition they deserve.
What are some of the worst brand collaborations that you have seen? What are your favorites?
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