Wendy’s has become caught up in March Madness thanks to a partnership with designer Don Crawley. | Credit: Wikipedia

Ever since my childhood, I have not been a typical Wendy’s fan, as my loyalty will forever lie with the chain’s chicken sandwiches instead of its lauded hamburgers. (I do adore the fries, though, so please refrain from thinking of me as completely cuckoo.) With regards to the patties products, the Ohio-headquartered company has always prided itself on using the freshest beef and is calling on that allegiance to offering quality goods to clown a competitor and to peddle a streetwear collection that has begun to gain credibility through the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament.

Enjoying its second season as the NCAA’s official burger provider, Wendy’s surely would have drawn ample attention just through product mentions and placements during the hoops competition, but in this age of endless contemplation of how to bolster one’s brand, those measures would not have been enough. Therefore, the entity teamed up with renowned sportswear designer Don Crawley to craft a line of hats, hoodies, jerseys and T-shirts. Calling on social media and tournament locations to help end-users spur cravings for Wendy’s-affiliated merchandise, the duo has helped not only to advocate for topnotch eats to constitute an establishment’s menu but also to extend one’s admiration for freshness to style considerations.

https://twitter.com/Wendys/status/971770434709590019

“The goal of our collaboration with Don C was to create Wendy’s first-ever streetwear collection to connect passionate basketball fans with our dedication of serving up fresh beef,” Carl Loredo, Wendy’s vice president of brand and advertising, said in a Hypebeast profile of the partnership, adding that choosing Crawley reflects his employer’s admiration for his creation of “fresh, iconic designs that stand out from the rest, which perfectly aligns with Wendy’s fresh, iconic hamburgers that stand out from the frozen hamburgers.”

That mention of frigid ground chuck serves as a swipe at McDonald’s, which last week announced that a quarter of its American restaurants had made the switch to fresh beef, with all of them—nearly 14,000 locations—to call on the meat for Quarter Pounders and Signature Recipe Sandwiches by May. The agreement with Crawley and the competitive dig at McDonald’s combine to support Wendy’s #TeamFresh social media campaign, through which, according to Marketing Dive, fans, by downloading the eatery’s application, can receive exclusive offers throughout the tournament.

With the annual basketball extravaganza already producing some great results, those examples of generosity figure to do well, but what about the apparel items that are helping Wendy’s to join fellow food giants such as IHOP, Pizza Hut and Kentucky Fried Chicken in intensifying customer loyalty? They are destined to go to #TeamFresh users (use that hashtag like crazy, my fellow Wendy’s lovers) and attendees at NCAA action in Nashville, whose Bridgestone Arena is hosting the South Region’s initial duels; Atlanta, whose Philips Arena is overseeing the same group’s Sweet 16 and Elite 8 matchups; and San Antonio, where fans will flock for Alamodome-situated Final Four action.

Unfortunately, consumers cannot purchase the streetwear garb anywhere, but if the tournament stops go well, here’s hoping Wendy’s takes an additional bite out of the competition by making the threads and headwear as ubiquitous as its burgers, chicken sandwiches, fries and everything else it hawks.