If you’re a Democrat, it will forever redefine “D*ck in a Box.”
When “Saturday Night Live” launched its smash viral video in 2009, no one could have conceived of a Donald Trump presidency, much less a monthly subscription service that will deliver a bit of Trump to your door.
Yet that is what is happening. CNN reported that on Monday, the Trump campaign sent out an email advertising a subscription called the “Big League Box.” For $69 a month, subscribers will receive Trump gear like T-shirts, mugs and bumper stickers, along with what the campaign touts as “vintage merchandise” (but does not elaborate on). Proceeds will benefit Trump’s re-election campaign.
Comparisons to Birchbox, the subscription makeup service, were immediate. Literally: CNN’s reporter went there in her initial tweet about the story.
The Trump campaign is taking the @birchbox subscription approach, introducing the “big league box” pic.twitter.com/41zUCxAlYA
— Betsy Klein (@betsy_klein) May 29, 2017
But Hayley Berna, the co-founder of Birchbox, was not having it.
I DO NOT endorse this use (actually, misuse) of the @birchbox business model… https://t.co/gvUKc7yLLw
— Hayley Bay Barna (@hayleybay) May 30, 2017
Some asked why Trump was calling the box “Big League” and not “Bigly,” which he was heard uttering during the presidential campaign and roundly mocked for. It might be to clear things up: At the time, a campaign spokeswoman said he was saying “big league” instead of “bigly.” A professor of linguistics concurred, and Trump himself said he was saying “big league.”
The boxes are due to start rolling out in June.
After coming up with a highly successful bit of merch during the presidential campaign via “Make America Great Again,” Trump has not had the best luck with marketing materials of late. For St. Patrick’s Day, the president’s committee debuted green MAGA hats which were recalled because they were printed with a four-leaf clover instead of a shamrock. (Technically, the Trump camp claimed they were sold out.) Retail analysts say the Big League Box might be a risky financial move because subscription services have been struggling recently.
