I’ll have to rope a nameless good friend into this post. Friend X has a small penchant for YETI products. And by “small” I mean “monopolizing the kitchen cabinet at an impressive pace.” Truth be told, I’m begrudgingly jealous of his pristine collection of excursion-ready coolers, cups, bags and buckets — in three rugged colors.

His most recent order included the stainless-steel Rambler Colster koozie (in Brick Red). But for once, it wasn’t the YETI product that captured my attention.

It was the little something extra in the YETI.

Instead of simply shipping the koozie, YETI maximized every square inch of its package to showcase its brand personality. The Colster contained what appeared at first behest to be an empty aluminum can. But upon perusing the label, the pop top can offered a treasure.

Behold, friends. A can of Rare Air.

The label touts the contents so convincingly that I almost popped the top. Quippy copy grabs the eye by underscoring the content’s premium nature (“Rare”) and purity (“100 % Wild”, because I prefer my air captured fresh from the forest, thank-you-very-much). And considering it’s undiluted, the can reminds us to “Please Breathe Responsibly”.

And trust you’re about to enjoy some of the finest vapors on the market.

Wanna confirm the serving size and nutrition facts? Just check the side.

And don’t worry. The Powers That Be have your back with the requisite Government Warning. PS: It’s about bees.

Government Warning: This can may contain traces of moose breath, porcupine dander, poison ivy, or a swarm of angry bees. There’s an off chance the bees are friendly. Either way, this can probably contains bees.”

Lessons?

Empty space isn’t dead.

Approach your business promotions with a keen eye, seeking unused spaces to tout your brand.

Don’t reinvent the wheel. Rebrand it.

YETI didn’t develop an entirely new widget to shove into the Colster. Instead, it followed logic, leveraging the Colster’s natural use. From here, they maximized clever copy, witty words and catchy concepts to pack a punch.

Words matter.

The idea might have been cute at best with heavy-handed language. (Insert cliches, cue eye rolls.) What finished this package was not what was said but how. The similarities between Rare Air and other beverages’ claims were so striking that who knows; it might very well jumpstart an air-drinking fad!

You have “empty space”? We have ideas. Shoot us a line to see how we can help!