Southern Tide is cozying up to the college crowd.
The Greenville, S.C.-based coastal-inspired brand will kick off a Tailgate Tour on Sept. 7, where it will travel to six colleges around the South to engage with students and alumni during some of the schools’ biggest college football games.
Southern Tide, which has a successful collegiate-licensed apparel collection with more than 40 universities around the U.S., works with ambassadors at schools around the country throughout the year to raise brand awareness. And the Tailgate Tour is an extension of that program and features a 2018 GMC Sierra 1500 SLT, a popular vehicle in the South, that will travel to the schools.
“College football season is one of the most exciting times of the year, so it’s only fitting that Southern Tide participate in a big and meaningful way,” said Southern Tide chief executive officer Christopher Heyn.
“The active, fun and social spirit of football season and its devoted fans embody the culture and traditions Southern Tide embraces and celebrates,” Heyn added. “We look to engage in partnerships we know our customers are participating in and where they have an influential, authentic presence. We believe Saturdays in the fall are meant to be spent tailgating and watching football. Our goal with the Tailgate Tour experience is to have our customers associate Southern Tide with a Saturday spent tailgating and cheering on their favorite teams with family and friends.”
The 2018 Tailgate Tour stops include Clemson at Texas A&M on Sept. 8, Tennessee at Auburn on Oct. 13, Oklahoma at TCU on Oct. 20, Georgia at Florida on Oct. 27, Alabama at LSU on Nov. 3 and Miami at Virginia Tech at Nov. 17.
The activations will include food, beverages, giveaways, prizes and games as well as an opportunity for fans at each stop to win a trip to the Army vs. Navy game. The Tailgate Tour will also include a pregame event hosted the day before by local retail partners offering licensed collegiate Southern Tide apparel and a selection of pieces from the fall collection.
Retail partners for the Tailgate Tour include: Aggieland Outfitters in College Station, Tex.; Alumni Hall in Auburn, Ala.; Tyler’s in Fort Worth, Tex., Ritz-Carlton on Amelia Island, Fla.; Perlis in Baton Rouge, La., and Alumni Hall in Blacksburg, Va.
Southern Tide is a division of Oxford Industries.