It’s not every day that a fast-food chain becomes the largest sock seller in the world. But that is exactly what happened when McDonald’s launched The Grinch Meal in partnership with Dr. Seuss Enterprises.

The limited-time meal included a pair of boldly designed socks covered in handwritten-style messages from the Grinch. The socks came in four unexpected colors and were playful enough to double as a holiday stocking. Within days of the promotion’s launch, franchisees across the country were running out of socks. McDonald’s went on to record its best quarterly U.S. same-store sales in more than two years, and company executives credited the promotion with helping drive the highest sales day in company history.

At first glance, this may feel like a consumer marketing story that lives far outside higher education. But the underlying lesson is highly relevant. When a branded item feels exclusive, joyful, and thoughtfully designed, people don’t see it as a giveaway. They see it as something worth showing up for.

The Power of Scarcity and Delight

The Grinch Meal worked because it tapped into a few core principles that also resonate with alumni, parents, and donors:

• Limited availability created urgency. Once the socks were gone, they were gone.
• Emotional connection mattered. The design leaned into humor, nostalgia, and seasonal storytelling.
• Utility met personality. Socks are useful, but these socks were also expressive and collectible.

Those same dynamics show up in one of the University of Richmond’s most successful branded merch campaigns.

How the University of Richmond Turned Socks into a Giving Tradition

In 2020, when in-person engagement was limited, the Annual Giving team at the University of Richmond needed a new way to connect with donors. Their first merch-based effort featured branded face masks, a timely and practical solution. What began as a response to a moment soon became something more intentional.

The following year, the team introduced branded socks, and a tradition was born.

Each fall, Richmond now releases a limited-edition sock design offered to alumni, parents, and supporters who make a gift of $25 or more. Since 2022, the university has partnered with Magellan to bring the campaign to life.

Every detail is deliberate. Each year’s socks feature subtle nods to campus nostalgia, from Westhampton Lake with its ducks and gazebo to the bell tower wrapped in its signature December wreath. The designs change annually and are never repeated. That sense of exclusivity has made the socks feel collectible rather than transactional.

The experience extends beyond the socks themselves. Custom packaging, coordinated insert cards, and cohesive artwork build anticipation before the envelope is even opened. The result is a branded moment that feels thoughtful and complete.

Why It Works for Higher Ed

Much like The Grinch Meal, Richmond’s sock campaign succeeds because it’s not really about the item. It’s about what the item represents.

• Participation over persuasion: Donors are not being sold to. They are being invited into a shared experience.
• Tradition over incentive: Many donors now give year after year specifically to receive the new design.
• Connection over promotion: The socks spark conversations, pride, and peer-to-peer sharing within the alumni community.

The campaign has grown beyond its original fall timing and now plays a role in Richmond’s Spiders Helping Spiders initiative, which supports student emergency funding, career services, and financial aid.

The results speak for themselves. The 2024 Spiders Helping Spiders campaign saw the most donors in seven years and the highest number of undergraduate alumni donors since 2017.

What Higher Ed Can Learn from a Pair of Socks

McDonald’s didn’t set out to sell socks. The University of Richmond didn’t set out to create a collectible. In both cases, success came from understanding how design, scarcity, and emotional resonance drive participation.

For advancement, admissions, and alumni teams, branded merch works best when it is treated as part of the experience, not an afterthought. When done well, it can spark joy, build tradition, and give your audience a reason to come back year after year.

Sometimes, the most powerful engagement tool really is a great pair of socks.