{"id":2558,"date":"2026-03-11T16:42:19","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T20:42:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/?p=2558"},"modified":"2026-03-11T16:42:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T20:42:19","slug":"crinkle-cut-french-fry-skis-when-branded-merch-gets-deliciously-weird","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/crinkle-cut-french-fry-skis-when-branded-merch-gets-deliciously-weird\/","title":{"rendered":"Crinkle-Cut French Fry Skis: When Branded Merch Gets Deliciously Weird"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crinkle-cut French fry skis. \ud83c\udfbf\ud83c\udf5f<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those words have absolutely no business being in the same sentence together\u2014and yet here we are, thanks to Ore-Ida Foods, Inc. and Fischer Sports<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ore-Ida took one of its most iconic products\u2014the crinkle-cut fry\u2014and turned it into actual skis you can buy<\/strong>. Yes, real skis. With crinkle-cut fry graphics running down the length.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And honestly? It\u2019s kind of perfect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If someone flew past me on the mountain wearing crinkle-cut fry skis, you better believe I\u2019m following them straight to the lodge. We\u2019re having lunch together. Non-optional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s the power of great branded merch<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Why Food Brands Win at Branded Merchandise<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Food brands have a huge advantage when it comes to swag and promotional merchandise<\/strong>: people already have strong emotional connections to the product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When fans already love what you make, the merch practically sells itself<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ore-Ida didn\u2019t overthink it. They didn\u2019t try to make something subtle or overly clever. They took their most recognizable product and made it absurdly literal:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fries. On skis.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The merch does all the talking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s often the secret to great brand merchandise and promotional swag<\/strong>\u2014lean into what people already love about your brand and amplify it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Best Branded Swag Is Bold (and a Little Ridiculous)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Great branded merchandise ideas<\/strong> usually share one thing in common: they\u2019re memorable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nobody talks about another safe tote bag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But French fry skis?<\/strong> That\u2019s merch people will photograph, post, and talk about all season long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bold merch works because it creates:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Instant brand recognition<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Social media buzz<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • A strong emotional reaction (usually laughter or delight)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Shareable moments that extend your marketing reach<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    In other words, the swag becomes the marketing<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A Lesson for Brands Creating Promotional Merchandise<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    If you\u2019re designing branded swag for your company<\/strong>, this campaign should give you permission to go bigger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Your merch doesn\u2019t have to be boring. It can be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Unexpected<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Playful<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Hyper-specific to your product<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • A little bit ridiculous<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      The right piece of branded merchandise<\/strong> turns fans into walking billboards\u2014and sometimes, skiing ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      So next time you’re brainstorming custom swag ideas<\/strong>, ask yourself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      What would our brand look like if we went all in?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Because sometimes the best answer is surprisingly simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Fries.
      On skis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Important Question: Fry Energy Check \ud83c\udf5f<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      What\u2019s your fry personality?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \ud83c\udf5f Crinkle<\/strong>
      \ud83c\udf5f Shoestring<\/strong>
      \ud83c\udf5f Waffle<\/strong>
      \ud83c\udf5f Curly<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Choose wisely. Your merch strategy may depend on it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert Crinkle-cut French fry skis. \ud83c\udfbf\ud83c\udf5f Those words have absolutely no business being in the same sentence together\u2014and yet here we are, thanks to Ore-Ida Foods, Inc. and Fischer Sports. Ore-Ida took one of its most iconic products\u2014the crinkle-cut fry\u2014and turned it into actual skis you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"hide_page_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2558","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2558"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2558\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2560,"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2558\/revisions\/2560"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}