The Arizona ice tea collaboration with Amazon's Fallout show is certainly no Nuka-Cola
An effort was made... kinda.
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We don’t blame shows for trying to earn back their budget through a spot of cheeky product placement. It’s all part of doing business in Hollywood these days and we accept that. However, producers can get bonus points with fans for doing something a bit extra with their product tie-ins. The Fallout TV show’s collaboration with Arizona ice tea energy drink is a good idea that doesn’t quite go far enough for our liking.
The key to these sorts of marking stunts is commitment. It is why Chuck E. Cheese grabbed us with their fate-tempting take on Five Nights at Freddy’s – they established the bit and they committed to it wholeheartedly. On paper, an energy drink themed around Fallout should have been an easy win – Nuka Cola has a prominent place in the franchise, after all.
Instead, we have a rather tame attempt to capitalize on the release of Fallout on Amazon Prime Video, with a subtle logo from the game at the top of the can and a so-small-you’ll-miss-it Vault-Tec logo at the bottom. Otherwise, this is just a standard can of Arizona’s new energy drink with a couple of embellishments.
Where is a catchy, tongue-in-cheek slogan from Vault-Tec selling us the benefits of drinking the Arizona ice tea energy drink in that wonderfully unique Fallout tone? Where is the faint glow of mild radiation in every can that makes it only slightly worse for us than a standard energy drink? At least make one Deathclaw flavored so we really have to find out what it tastes like (We're guessing spicy with a slight tingle of battery acid.) Honestly, the box is the most interesting part of this whole marketing stunt.
This whole collaboration between Arizona and the Fallout series is a lesson in missed opportunities. It feels entirely too safe for our liking and safe is not the Fallout way.
Get ready to get out of your Vault and into the Fallout world - with our help, of course. Here is a guide to the Fallout timeline, how to play and watch all of Fallout, details on the Fallout cast, how the Fallout cast & crew really get the harsh humor we're looking for, as well as a Q&A with Fallout showrunners Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner.
