‘Nathan For You’s Ridiculous Products Are Becoming Actual Successful Things

By , a features editor at Vulture

So far, this season of Nathan Fielder’s beloved Comedy Central series Nathan for You hasn’t had a hugely viral marketing stunt on the level of Dumb Starbucks, but if you’ve been following the aftermath of the episodes closely, you might have noticed that season 3 is taking a slow-burn approach with its segments that pays off even more after they air. During the second episode, Fielder launched a new outdoor apparel line “dedicated to producing quality outdoor apparel and raising awareness of the Holocaust†called Summit Ice (he previewed it on Conan too), and now the Summit Ice website has a new “Gallery†page featuring all the hip celebrities who support the new brand and its Holocaust awareness message:

In the most recently aired episode, Fielder was the mastermind behind a new workout that was really just a way to find free labor for a moving company, resulting in a ghostwritten book called The Movement: How I Got This Body By Never Going To The Gym In My Life. Not long after the episode aired last week, the book became an Amazon bestseller:

The Movement book currently ranks #14 in the “Self-Help > Motivational†category on Amazon, and based off this sneak peek Fielder posted, it looks like the Craigslist writer he hired definitely made a book worthy of purchasing:

Like Summit Ice, The Movement also has its own website complete with videos, a mailing list for workshops, and snippets of Jack Garbarino’s inspiring, and completely fake, life story. It’s a ridiculous rabbit hole that shows Fielder and crew are more interested in pushing the boundaries of their marketing stunts rather than going for the easy viral hit, and only three Nathan for You episodes have aired so far, so it’s only the beginning. Get your own copy of The Movement here, and if you’re in need of a new fall jacket, Summit Ice has you covered.

UPDATE: Summit Ice is already a financial success, and all the proceeds are going towards the cause it holds dear. According to Entertainment Weekly, so far the sales from Summit Ice apparel have exceeded $45k, with all proceeds going toward the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, who had no idea that they’d be on the receiving end of the money prior to the episode. “It’s amazing,†VHEC executive director Nina Krieger said on the news. “We were surprised, but the VHEC was grateful to be named as the beneficiary … The absurdity of a clothing company expressing sympathies for a Holocaust denier has been reframed by Nathan as an opportunity to promote awareness and we would hope further learning about the events and lessons of the Holocaust.â€

UPDATE 2: Now in business for just under eight weeks, Summit Ice is officially a big success for Fielder and Holocaust awareness. Entertainment Weekly reports that the company has now made over $300,000 in sales, and all profits will go to the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre. Said Fielder on the news: “We are excited to see fourth-quarter earnings come in slightly better than expectations. At this rate, Summit Ice is on track for projected gross annual sales of $2.2 million.â€

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‘Nathan For You’s Ridiculous Products Are Becoming […]