Dive Brief:
- Granola brand Bear Naked is living up to its homonymic name by partnering with the Gaia GPS app to help consumers find trails that can be hiked in the nude, according to a press release. The promotion is timed to National Nude Day on July 14.
- For the effort, Gaia app users can review over 300 hiking trails to gain insight as to which trails may be friendly to trek while naked. Bear Naked also created a special hiker’s belt, retailing online for $23, that strategically covers the genital region with a bag of granola.
- Additionally, hikers are encouraged to chronicle their experiences on social media with the hashtags #HikeBearNaked and #GetBearNaked. Bear Naked’s latest move sees it join a growing list of brands creating comedic novelty products.
Dive Insight:
Bear Naked’s promotion is definitely “pun intended,” as the brand plays up the idea that “bear” and “bare” are homonyms. The tie-in also plays to the granola brand’s promise of connecting with nature — which some might consider a pun on “granola” in its own right.
"Every year, hikers across the country embark on these hikes to get as close to nature as possible," said Sadie Garcia, Bear Naked’s senior director of brand marketing, in release details. “Connecting with nature is at the core of our company, and to help them along the way, we want to make sure they know which trails are friendly, and that they have something to bring along their favorite trail snack.”
On National Nude Day, the Gaia app will help hikers determine which trails are likely to be friendly to naked hiking, and those taking advantage of the feature are also encouraged to share information about their hikes on social media. It’s worth noting that neither Bear Naked nor Gaia are claiming that the results will be fully accurate, adding in press details that “Bear Naked does not encourage or make any claims about the legality of hiking naked and is not responsible for naked injuries or complaints.”
Still, the cheeky promo and Bear Naked’s crafty hiking belt fall in line with similar initiatives other brands are taking in the chase for virality. The 2022 holiday season, for instance, saw a bevy of companies introducing products that would make for amusing conversation, such as a Cheetos-branded blender to make cheese-flavored dust for recipes and Southern Comfort-branded lounge pants that come with an extra pocket to hold a shot glass. More recently, Twisted Tea introduced a line of “vasectomy underwear” that hold ice-cold beverage cans for the kickoff of the NCAA basketball tournament.
