This week, I’m talking about H-E-B’s wild heavy-metal T-shirt collab with designer Connor Dwyer. What started as a fun grocery-store-meets-metal-band mashup turned into one of the most viral merch drops of the year.

Here’s what’s happened:

• A fan design turned into an official partnership
• A charity angle raised $35,000 for Austin musicians
• A tech fail that left fans frustrated
• What small brands can learn about handling hype and demand

Hype is great—but make sure your system can take the hit. If your fans show up ready to buy, you’d better be ready for them.

---

Equipment we're using:

Sony ZV-1 (affiliate link) - https://amzn.to/36LK8e2

Sony ZV-1 Vlogger Accessory Kit (affiliate link) - https://amzn.to/3mSNT72

Shure SM58 Microphone (affiliate link) - https://amzn.to/3axqoeW

RODECaster Pro Production Studio - https://amzn.to/3rViinT

Switchpod by Pat Flynn (affiliate link) - https://bigpromo.link/switchpod

Elgato Stream Deck (affiliate link) - https://amzn.to/2S1CcNJ

Software and services we like:

Broadcasting with Ecamm Live - get a trial now - https://bigpromo.live/ecamm

This podcast is hosted on Captivate Dot FM - get a free 7 day trial here (affiliate link) - https://bigpromo.live/captivate

Beef up your YouTube presence with Tubebuddy (affiliate link) - https://bigpromo.live/tubebuddy

Go from fuzzy thought to clear text fast with AudioPen: https://bigpromo.link/audiopen

AI Images and Chat in one place: https://bigpromo.link/magai

Setapp - over 200 quality apps for Mac - https://bigpromo.link/setapp

Wispr Flow for Voice Dictation - https://bigpromo.link/wispr

@Takeonetech - Ecamm Masterclass

https://bigpromo.link/ecamm-masterclass

---

Links to this podcast

https://www.merchdrop.show/

Get merch ideas in your inbox:

http://merchdrop.show/newsletter

Big Promotions!

🕸 https://www.bigpromotions.net

📝 https://blog.bigpromotions.net

👀 http://fb.com/bigpromotions

🗣 https://twitter.com/bigpromotions

🌅 https://instagram.com/bigpromotions

🗄 https://www.linkedin.com/company/bigpromo

📽 https://bigpromo.live/youtube

c.2025 Biggerfish, Dallas TX USA

381 Casa Linda Plaza, Suite 200

Dallas, Texas 75218 USA

‪@Chomps‬ the meat snack brand, pulled off one of the smartest pop-up activations of the year.

They took over an old gas station in Austin for a back-to-school event: they cleaned out parents’ cars, handed out free snacks and branded merch, and turned everyday stress into a shareable experience.

Experiential marketing like this works. It builds lasting brand equity. Small brands can learn from it.

---

Equipment we're using:

Sony ZV-1 (affiliate link) - https://amzn.to/36LK8e2

Sony ZV-1 Vlogger Accessory Kit (affiliate link) - https://amzn.to/3mSNT72

Shure SM58 Microphone (affiliate link) - https://amzn.to/3axqoeW

RODECaster Pro Production Studio - https://amzn.to/3rViinT

Switchpod by Pat Flynn (affiliate link) - https://bigpromo.link/switchpod

Elgato Stream Deck (affiliate link) - https://amzn.to/2S1CcNJ

Software and services we like:

Broadcasting with Ecamm Live - get a trial now - https://bigpromo.live/ecamm

This podcast is hosted on Captivate Dot FM - get a free 7 day trial here (affiliate link) - https://bigpromo.live/captivate

Beef up your YouTube presence with Tubebuddy (affiliate link) - https://bigpromo.live/tubebuddy

Go from fuzzy thought to clear text fast with AudioPen: https://bigpromo.link/audiopen

AI Images and Chat in one place: https://bigpromo.link/magai

Setapp - over 200 quality apps for Mac - https://bigpromo.link/setapp

Wispr Flow for Voice Dictation - https://bigpromo.link/wispr

@Takeonetech - Ecamm Masterclass

https://bigpromo.link/ecamm-masterclass

---

Links to this podcast

https://www.merchdrop.show/

Get merch ideas in your inbox:

http://merchdrop.show/newsletter

Big Promotions!

🕸 https://www.bigpromotions.net

📝 https://blog.bigpromotions.net

👀 http://fb.com/bigpromotions

🗣 https://twitter.com/bigpromotions

🌅 https://instagram.com/bigpromotions

🗄 https://www.linkedin.com/company/bigpromo

📽 https://bigpromo.live/youtube

c.2025 Biggerfish, Dallas TX USA

381 Casa Linda Plaza, Suite 200

Dallas, Texas 75218 USA

When is “ask forgiveness, not permission” a good idea? Baggu found out the hard way.

At their new San Francisco store opening, the sustainable bag brand gave away BART-branded water bottles, hats, and stickers — without permission from Bay Area Rapid Transit.

It wasn't really BART merch, Baggu thought it was OK to knock off the BART logo and make it their own. Not good!

The stunt went viral, drew backlash, and pushed Baggu into crisis-control talks with BART about a legitimate merch partnership.

This breakdown covers how a giveaway meant to celebrate a store launch turned into a lesson on intellectual property, licensing, and how official collaborations can build more trust (and less chaos).

---

Equipment we're using:

Sony ZV-1 (affiliate link) - https://amzn.to/36LK8e2

Sony ZV-1 Vlogger Accessory Kit (affiliate link) - https://amzn.to/3mSNT72

Shure SM58 Microphone (affiliate link) - https://amzn.to/3axqoeW

RODECaster Pro Production Studio - https://amzn.to/3rViinT

Switchpod by Pat Flynn (affiliate link) - https://bigpromo.link/switchpod

Elgato Stream Deck (affiliate link) - https://amzn.to/2S1CcNJ

Software and services we like:

Broadcasting with Ecamm Live - get a trial now - https://bigpromo.live/ecamm

This podcast is hosted on Captivate Dot FM - get a free 7 day trial here (affiliate link) - https://bigpromo.live/captivate

Beef up your YouTube presence with Tubebuddy (affiliate link) - https://bigpromo.live/tubebuddy

Go from fuzzy thought to clear text fast with AudioPen: https://bigpromo.link/audiopen

AI Images and Chat in one place: https://bigpromo.link/magai

Setapp - over 200 quality apps for Mac - https://bigpromo.link/setapp

Wispr Flow for Voice Dictation - https://bigpromo.link/wispr

@Takeonetech - Ecamm Masterclass

https://bigpromo.link/ecamm-masterclass

---

Links to this podcast

https://www.merchdrop.show/

Get merch ideas in your inbox:

http://merchdrop.show/newsletter

Big Promotions!

🕸 https://www.bigpromotions.net

📝 https://blog.bigpromotions.net

👀 http://fb.com/bigpromotions

🗣 https://twitter.com/bigpromotions

🌅 https://instagram.com/bigpromotions

🗄 https://www.linkedin.com/company/bigpromo

📽 https://bigpromo.live/youtube

c.2025 Biggerfish, Dallas TX USA

381 Casa Linda Plaza, Suite 200

Dallas, Texas 75218 USA