Shark Week Spawns Everything From Cupcakes to Underwear

Shark Week Discovery
(Image credit: Georgetown Cupcake)

Discovery has signed up a number of marketing partners to help promote Shark Week with their own Shark Week products and stunts.

In Los Angeles, fans can bring their cars to the La Cienega Car Wash and Oil Change for an immersive Shark Week car wash experience July 9th through July 11th, and Southwest Airline passengers will be able to watch a special Shark Week TV Series Channel on Southwest’s inflight entertainment portal. 

Also Read: Discovery Shares Shark Week Plans

Great Clips will have co-branded Shark Week signage in its hair salons and will have a co-branded TV commercial running on Discovery Channel starting this week.

And Georgetown Cupcake will mark the event with a Shark Week Dozen, featuring four Shark Fin Vanilla cupcakes topped with ocean blue buttercream, sparkling blue sanding sugar, and fondant shark fins, two Shark Vanilla cupcakes topped with ocean blue buttercream, sparkling blue sanding sugar, and fondant disk featuring three sharks, two  Chocolate & Sunshine Yellow Vanilla Buttercream cupcakes with shark head fondant, and four Chocolate & Vanilla Buttercream cupcakes with Shark Week logo fondant. They will be available in stores and for nationwide shipping through July 31.

Also Read: Devour, T-Mobile, Sonic, Vrbo New Shark Week Sponsors

Other partners include Beneath the Waves, Oceana, Ocean Conservancy, Wilson, Nautica, Casely, MeUndies, American Red Cross, Pooch Perks, Ubisoft and The Paley Center for Media.

“Our marketing partnerships are an integral part of our annual Shark Week celebration. They extend our reach, allow our superfans to experience the brand in new ways and most important of all, benefit sharks and ocean conservation,” said senior VP of marketing Josh Kovolenko.

Wilson Volleyball Shark Week

(Image credit: Wilson)

This year, the first ever Shark Week blimp will be floating ominously above the East Coast. The 128-foot long airship will take off from Nashville this week and travel around through July 20.

Biossance is promoting its skincare products, which are based on squalane, a substance made from sugarcane that replaces ingredients used by other companies that is made from shark livers. The moisturizer saves more than 2 million shark from being hunted and killed each year.

Also Read: Tubi Dives Into Shark-Infested Waters with Its Own Bitefest

Wilson is creating Shark Week volleyball that will be available exclusively at wilson.com. A portion of the proceeds support Beneath the Waves, a conservation group.

Nautica is producing an interactive poll that will enable its Instagram audience ot pick their favorite shark. That shark will be featured on a Sustainably Crafted t-shirt and hat. Nautica will also match all consumer donations to Oceana via its Give Change to Make Change Round-up Program.

MeUndies will be coming out with undies and loungewear featuring a limited edition Shark Bite design. Fans using SharkWeek as a promo code will get 25% off. Followers of the company’s Instagram and Twitter handles will also find trivia, games and memes that will teach them more about sharks.

Discovery Shark Week MeUndies

Shark Week undies from MeUndies (Image credit: MeUndies)

Casely, a tech accessory retailer, is creating a limited-edition shark-themed iPhone case. A portion of the profits for July will be donated to BeneathThe Waves.

Pooch Perks will have an exclusive Pampered Pooch box of dog toys, treats and accessories following the Shark Week theme. Shark Week pet items are also available for purchase on the company’s website.

Ubisoft is designing and developing a Shark Week integration within its Hungry Shark Evolution game. It is also building a Shark Week themed loading screen and tune-in messages that will run in Hungry Shark Evolution and Hungry Shark World.

The American Red Cross is running a Shark Week is in Your Blood promotion to encourage donations in July. Appointments can be made at rcblood.org/Shark.

The Paley Center for Media will have a salute to Shark Week on its website featuring top moments from Shark Week since it started in 1988.

Discovery is also working with Oceana to help protect sharks, Beneath the Waves to promote conservation of biodiversity and Ocean Conservancy to promote safe beach cleanups.

Shark Week fans can test Shark to 707070 to support Discovery’s Shark Week fund through the Pledge platform by contributing to Oceana, Beneath the Waves and Ocean Conservancy.

Zoom is making Shark Week backgrounds featuring text-to-donate links.

Shark Week will be running July 11 through July 18 on Discovery and Discovery Plus.

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.