Hi all,
It’s a collab world out there. Ice Spice has a Dunkin’ latte, Tinx has a hot sauce, and now Colleen Hoover has a… nail polish set?
At the end of February nail care brand Olive & June unveiled a collaboration with Hoover that includes eight polishes with names tying into her mega-bestselling books. There’s Lily Blooms (a blush pink), Atlas (a spring green), Corrigan (for some reason, a metallic purple). At least someone had the good sense not to name one Ryle.
Having followed Hoover on Instagram for years—I especially enjoyed her chaotic pandemic stories (shout out to the time she took a road trip through the northeast rating clam chowders even after discovering she did not like clams)—my initial reaction was: huh?! Maybe I missed something, but I don’t remember the author ever painting her nails or showing off a new manicure. I’m all for authors getting paid, but this felt like a strange crossover
Then I saw a photo of Hoover with a Target end cap, and it made a little more sense. OK, this is for the girlies on a weeknight Target run looking to buy themselves a little treat to get through the week. Sure, I get it. Kind of.
But still, for weeks I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the collab and I’ve come to the conclusion that we can do better. In a not-so-distant past life, I was a marketer, so allow me to don my marketing hat and offer some ideas.
Colleen Hoover x UrbanStems: In Hoover’s mega-bestselling It Ends With Us duology, main character Lily owns a flower shop in Boston. If we want something that makes contextual sense, why not do a partnership with an online florist to create a custom bouquet?
Colleen Hoover x McDonald’s: But really, I think the joy of Hoover’s online persona is the chaos. Last year, she changed the name of her 955K member Facebook page from “Colleen Hoover’s CoHorts” to “Bring Back McDonald’s Snack Wraps” not realizing Facebook wouldn’t let you change the name again for another month. So, why not… bring back the snack wrap? The accompanying campaign could wink at the fact that Hoover didn’t have a book release in 2023 because she was so busy writing McDonald’s letters begging them to bring back the snack wrap.
Emily Henry x Nuuly: EmHen has been fairly silent on Instagram as of late, but in prior eras she was all for showing off recent clothing rentals. In addition to curating her own picks, the author could curate selections for each of her books’ leading ladies (January: Rocker tees and cut offs; Poppy: fun, loud, 70’s inspired fashion; Nora: sleek and chic working girl outfits; and Harriet: closet basics for those who don’t love getting dressed but propriety keeps them from becoming a nudist). Frankly, I think her fandom would go feral for this. OUT: Fantasy Casting; IN: Fantasy Dressing.
Sarah Adams x Sara Lee: In Adam’s When in Rome series, leading man Noah owns a small-town pie shop. Why not bring that to life with a limited-edition collab with Sara Lee to actually make his grandmother’s famous pie recipe? Truly, the last time Sara Lee had any cultural relevance was this hilarious 2019 Harry Styles SNL sketch… what do they have to lose?
Jasmine Guillory x Athleta: In addition to being a prolific romance author, Guillory is also on a 2,000+ day yoga streak that she catalogs on her Instagram. Last year she revealed on her stories she’s never been reached out to by a yoga brand. Not for anything, not even for gifting. And WHAT A MISS! I think there’s a content campaign to be had here. Dress Jasmine in your brand’s clothing and have an email/social campaign about how yoga has impacted her writing practice. Athleta seems like the obvious answer with a solid footprint and brand marketing budget, but I would love to see a smaller brand (Beyond Yoga?) throw their hat in the ring.
Elin Hilderbrand x Serena & Lily: Hilderbrand is one of the few authors who’s already dipped a toe into the collab pool. (No literally a toe: she did a bejeweled sandal collab with Mystique.) But the collab I want to see is in the home space. With lush description of interiors in her books, I’d love to see her partner with a brand like Serena & Lily on a curated collection to allow you to bring the Nantucket aesthetic to your home no matter where you live.
Honorable mention: Elin x Nautilus: An Elin-curated custom tasting menu with a restaurant (this one has outposts on both Nantucket Island and in Boston) feels like a slam dunk for the Moms Night Out/Girl Vacation crowd.
Carley Fortune x Hudson Bay: Carley is truly the pride of Canada. Her latest book, Meet Me At the Lake, has been holding strong on the CBC Canadian fiction bestseller list since its release last May. What’s more Canadian than Carley? A Hudson Bay blanket. I’d love to see them team to create custom blankets with stripes that tie into the color palettes of her book covers. I feel like these would fly off shelves.
Tessa Bailey x Babeland: It feels shocking to me that no romance author has launched a line of vibrators. I’m nominating Tessa Bailey who Entertainment Weekly dubbed “The Michelangelo of Dirty Talk”. I’m picturing a curated product line with SKUs named after the romance heroes in her most popular books. Imagine: The Brendan, a no-frills pocket rocket that always gets the job done.
OK your turn, what opps did I miss? What pairings would you love to see?
Until next time,
Becca
Becca Freeman x Chili’s - limited time buffalo chicken wrap
I've been saying this since I found out about the Colleen x O&J partnership... I would love to see Olive & June collab with Emily Henry next. She uses their nail polish & her covers are so colorful-- it would be a more natural fit