Nostalgia meets TikTok: Drink bottle brand Frank Green brings back surprise ‘Lucky Bag’ promotion

Cult drink bottle brand Frank Green will be serving up a healthy dose of nostalgia this week when it brings back a promotion that last year sent TikTok into a spin. 

Fresh off the back of another viral product hit – a car cup holder expander that was inspired by a DIY Bunnings hack and which sold out in 30 minutes last month – Frank Green will this week release its ‘Lucky Bag’ promotion for the second year running. 

Last year, the brand sold around 20,000 of the bags, and with the Frank Green business itself now three times the size it was 12 months ago, it’s expecting to triple the amount of bags sold this time around, says founder Ben Young. 

Reminiscent of the childhood ‘lucky dip’ prizes, the bags offer buyers a surprise selection of Frank Green products worth well above the purchase price of the bag. 

This year, bags will be available at two price points, based on feedback from last year’s buyers. One bag will be priced at $79.95 (NZ $89.95) and will include Frank Green products valued at $140 (NZ $155). The second bag will be priced at $109.95 (NZ $119.95) and include $200 (NZ $221) worth of products. 

As a bonus “gift” to shoppers, one in every 10 bags will also include a ‘Golden Ticket’, which can be redeemed for a $100 Frank Green electronic gift card. 

‘Frank friends’, the name given to members of the Frank Green loyalty program, will get first access to the Lucky Bags, from 8am (AEDT) on Thursday, March 9, in Australia and 8am (NZDT) in New Zealand. General access will then open up at 8am (AEDT and NZDT) on Friday, March 10. 

The nostalgia factor is a key part of the appeal of the Lucky Bag, says Young, who founded Frank Green in 2014 with a range of reusable coffee cups. 

Nine years on, the company has expanded into a range of categories, including reusable kitchenware, with its brightly coloured drink bottles in particular attracting a loyal customer base. Frank Green grew by 300% over the past 12 months, says the founder, and expects to do the same again in the next 12 months. 

“The older you get the less willing you are to let your childhood go,” Young says, of the appeal of the Lucky Bag promotion. 

“It’s that element of surprise, of getting something you didn’t know you were getting.”

In this age of social media, shoppers were of course sharing these moments of surprise on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. According to Frank Green, the ‘unboxing’ videos amassed more than 17 million views on TikTok alone.

“It was just phenomenal,” says Young. 

While existing Frank Green customers were the ones who initially bought a Lucky Bag last year, Young says this changed with the virality of the campaign. 

“As it went more viral, we had more new customers come in, so it widely swung throughout the campaign,” he says. 

The benefits to the brand are clear in terms of sales and community engagement, but Young says the promotion is also an important “brand building moment”. 

“It’s keeping the fun and exciting nature of the connection with the brand … that’s what we’re all about,” he says. 

“Our number one value at Frank Green is around customer and brand. Without a brand you’ve got nothing, I think as a business owner, so we fiercely protect it in all different manners.”

This article was updated at 4.40pm on Monday, March 6, 2023.