Monday, November 09, 2009

The Weezer Snuggie: Smart Marketing or Nutty Stunt?

Weezer has never been hesitant to tap into pop-culture references (witness its music video for "Buddy Holly," in which the band played in a scene from TV's "Happy Days.") Now the band selling a Weezer-branded item in conjunction with their latest album, "Raditude," and that product is none other than that ubiquitous sleeved blanket, the Snuggie.

Weezer has put together a tongue-in-cheek infomercial to promote the Weezer Snuggie (below), featuring the band members lounging around what looks like a typical middle-American home wearing their soft fleece alt-rocker blankies.



What's more, the band wore its branded Snuggies while playing a song at a recent appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman.

You can buy the Weezer Snuggie in two designs, soothing blue or zebra print ("snugging safari," they call it), both with the Weezer logo. It comes with a copy of "Raditude" (either regular or deluxe versions), and you can purchase directly from the band's Web site, www.weezer.com/raditude. The Snuggie with the regular version of the CD is $29.99.

An article at WFUV's Alternate Side notes that "Raditude" features some interesting guest players, including Lil Wayne, the All-American Rejects, and Jermaine Dupri. And the band's recent AOL Sessions had smooth-jazz sax man Kenny G blowing his horn on one track.

It'll be interesting to see if the Weezer Snuggie campaign boosts the band's sales and visibility, or just gives its current fans a warm, fuzzy feeling.

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