While the Traeger pellet grill is almost 40 years old, the last ten years is when it transformed from a product into a brand. The Traeger team’s ability to build a brand has been second to none.
Much like Kleenex is to facial tissue, Traeger is to pellet grills. When discussing the subject of outdoor cooking, if someone wants to know if you have a pellet grill, there’s a good chance they ask if you have a Traeger.
In a survey Traeger did ahead of their IPO involving 235 Traeger owners, 80% of customers responded that they have recommended Traeger to an average of six people. It’s not just that customers like cooking on a Traeger, which they do, but an estimated 75% of Traeger owners believe the brand reflects who they are as people.
Fueling Growth Through Collaboration
Traeger has used innovative products with passion for their brand to grow market penetration across the USA to 3.5%. That’s a sizeable chunk, but there’s room for more, with an estimated 75 million households that own a grill. How can Traeger welcome more people into the Traegerhood?
One way is through collaborations with other brands. We’ve seen multiple examples of this over the past six weeks.
They’re not just teaming up with any brand either. They seem to strategically be partnering with other brands that have a passionate following that’s complimentary to their own.
The partner brands, like Traeger, evoke mental imagery of using their products and the emotion around it. The most mainstream example is their collaboration with Louisville Slugger on maple wood pellets.
Louisville Slugger Pellets
Wood isn’t just the fuel, it’s the secret ingredient. Traeger has dedicated over 30 years to perfecting the art of hardwood pellets. We’re bringing the same maple wood professional baseball players utilize at the plate to the plates in backyard cookouts. Partnering with Louisville Slugger, a brand ingrained in the fabric of baseball for over a hundred years, was a natural fit, and we’re thrilled to bring this unique product to the Traegerhood.
Jeremy Andrus, Traeger Grills CEO
Traeger could have easily partnered with a professional baseball team, which is a route that many brands take. Being the “official grilling partner” of the Colorado Rockies certainly would raise general awareness. Grilling hot dogs and baseball obviously go together.
It lacks depth though and it’s not targeted. Louisville Slugger on the other hand is synonymous with baseball and the history of the game. It’s an iconic brand that has an appeal to a consumer with a slightly deeper knowledge of baseball.
Traeger took the collaboration a step further by actually using maple scraps to make the pellets. This is even stronger imagery because it makes you think of the bat making process, rather than just thinking of the bat as a inanimate object. It brings Traeger’s customers into that story of baseball with the arc being cooking with their pellets.
melin x Traeger
Traeger has also been collaborating with more niche brands. They announced the melin x Traeger Trenches HYDRO hat with is another partnership that makes a lot of sense.
Melin is a brand that produces hats that are rich with innovation and command a premium price (sounds familiar). One look at their website reveals that they likely appeal to a similar demographic as Traeger’s core customer base. They also are a brand that has built a very loyal following.
Sanuk x Traeger
In that same vein, Traeger and Sanuk announced a new collaboration today. It’s for the Happy Hour Lite x Traeger, and it’s another product that makes all the sense in the world. It expands the reach of Traeger’s brand to Sanuk shoe loyalists, and vice versa.
Sanuk (which means “fun” in Thai) was founded in 1997 and is a fast growing shoe brand centered around being comfortable and relaxed outdoors, and building a community. They’re aligned with a major brand too, being acquired by Decker in 2011.
Partnering with Traeger was a natural fit for Sanuk, as we share a deep appreciation for outdoor lifestyle and purpose-built products that enhance those experiences. The Sanuk x Traeger collection offers functionality with its unique features, drawing inspiration from Traeger’s cultivated community and barbecue culture.
Katie Pruitt, Brand Director at Sanuk
It’s another great pairing between brands, and like the Louisville collab, it’s not in name only. The shoes features barbecue centered ideas like BBQ sauce resistant materials and a nifty bottle opener built into the shoe strap. They’re a perfect product to keep existing Traeger loyalists engaged while allowing Sanuk customers to walk into the Traegerhood.