Promotional products are about more than just the here and now. They can have major lasting power.

Case in point: A Monterey Bay Aquarium branded T-shirt celebrating sea otter conservation from the 1990s just re-entered the zeitgeist, garnering more than $2 million in sales in just a few days. All it took was for Taylor Swift to wear the tee in a release film for her recent album “The Life of a Showgirl.”

Combine the intense fandom of the Swifties and the general aesthetic appeal of the shirt’s design that (presumably) helped draw Swift to the shirt in the first place, and a perfect storm erupted: An intense demand arose for the merch, which had not been in production for about 30 years.

  • Acting quickly, the aquarium decided to react to the calls for the shirt by re-releasing it in hopes of raising $1.3 million (Swift’s favorite number is 13) for sea otter conservation.
  • A donation of $65.13 guaranteed doners a T-shirt identical to the one Swift wore in the promotional video.
  • In the first eight hours of the campaign, $100,000 was raised every 15 minutes, according to the aquarium.
  • By the end of the second day, more than $2 million had been raised.


Swift and fiancé Travis Kelce have discussed an affinity for otters on his podcast, “New Heights,” but Monterey Bay Aquarium is unaware of how Swift got her hands on the retro shirt, which had not been re-sold by the aquarium prior to the campaign.

Power Of Promo + Conservation + Sustainability

The entire experience shows the immense potential of a single promotional item. While fandom plays a big part in this particular example, it also serves as a case study of a product being designed with quality and timelessness so that a celebrity the stature of Swift would choose to wear it in her own promotional material. The rest took care of itself and is the best-case result for branded merch.

In this instance, the results went beyond business. Conservation causes can be very difficult to raise money and awareness for. Promo can be a good route for animal conservation as it serves as an opportunity to put a face to the species endangered and remind end users what’s at stake.

  • Liberty Graphics, the firm providing the T-shirts, is using water-based ink, which is a more sustainable option that does not rely on chemicals.
  • Monterey Bay Aquarium claims that it plans to ensure the packaging does not use plastic to further reduce waste.