By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert

Key Takeaways

Howard Johnson’s 100-year merch drop is retro branding at its finest: it doesn’t just celebrate a milestone, it makes you feel it. Great merch doesn’t just mark time. It transports you, which makes your company anniversary a creative opportunity to tell your brand’s story.

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How Did Howard Johnson Turn Its Centennial Into a Merch Moment?

This 100-year merch drop is retro branding at its finest. It doesn’t just celebrate a milestone—it makes you feel it. Like striped towels on the motel lawn. Like a roadside burger stop on the way to somewhere better.

Fried clam soap. Ice cream lamps. A robe in full HoJo orange.

The collection is packed with:

🧡 Loud colors and throwback fonts
🧡 Smartly kitschy giveaways
🧡 Merch that sparks conversation (and Instagrams)

That’s how you use branded merch to turn a centennial into a moment:

💥 Make it wearable
💥 Make it nostalgic
💥 Make it giveaway-worthy

It’s not just a look back. It’s a re-entry into the cultural canon.

Why Does It Works?

Because great merch doesn’t just mark time.
It transports you.

So here’s your reminder: your company anniversary isn’t a date—it’s a creative opportunity. A chance to tell your brand’s story in texture, tone, and Technicolor.

And maybe even inspire a robe or two in your signature shade.

What’s your weirdest hotel memory? When’s the last time you stayed in one?

FAQ

What’s in Howard Johnson’s Time Capsule Collection?

Fried clam soap, ice cream lamps, and a robe in full HoJo orange. The collection is packed with loud colors and throwback fonts, smartly kitschy giveaways, and merch that sparks conversation (and Instagrams).

Why does the collection work?

Great merch doesn’t just mark time. It transports you.

What can other brands learn about anniversaries?

Your company anniversary isn’t a date—it’s a creative opportunity to tell your brand’s story in texture, tone, and Technicolor. Make it wearable, make it nostalgic, and make it giveaway-worthy.