They came on slowly and then all at once. There were signs alluding to their oncoming invasion. They popped up at the school in Athens before they came for us. On a typical Friday night, one might see them resting around campus waiting to be called upon. Seemingly unassuming vehicles, simple black vans purposely nondescript to not draw attention to themselves. The only clue to their true purpose is the thin lettering of the logo on the door, Fetii.
For those unfamiliar, Fetiis are party vans. Shuttles of depravity and debauchery carting students from campus to their chosen destination, often the infamous road of Buckhead bars. These vehicles were made for one purpose, made evident by the strobing lights and blasting music. When someone climbs in through the sliding door, they enter another dimension. Contained within the walls of the van is a world where nothing matters, and stress is left behind, away from the daily toil of classwork and midterms.
Fetii has become somewhat of a cultural phenomenon on college campuses across America. Joining the likes of Uber with many students adopting it dually as a verb. You now hear Jackets say, “We’ll just Fetti over,” solidifying its presence and impact.
Fetii has taken over campuses nationwide. Just a quick look at their Instagram or TikTok reveals features from universities like Texas A&M, Purdue, Rutgers and, of course, University of Alabama. Interestingly, the videos Fetii makes have little or more commonly nothing to do with their product. They feature OOTDs from sorority girls on game days, house tours of massive Greek mansions and “pledgetok” videos. Their social media could leave viewers asking, what’s the point? What does asking less than sober people on college game day have to do with a party van? Nothing, objectively. But, they encourage engagement and interest in the brand. The videos are fun and eye-catching, using trends and formats that are already popular amongst Generation Z.
The videos also emphasize Fetii’s view of their target demographic. Fetii has created a cool kids club. You’re either in or you’re out. If you find yourself asking “what side am I on?” you are probably on the outs. Their videos often have an air of exclusivity. They show an ideal college life, a life most people can not afford. Those outfits featured in the OOTDs sport price tags of hundreds if not thousands of dollars. The Greek houses they show are objectively beautiful but certainly take a pretty penny to maintain.
Fetii makes this exclusivity very clear in the business plan, offering a specialty “GOD Mode” to Greek houses, which allows members to forgo the costs of using their transportation services, often for a full semester or an academic year upon its reception. Their strategy is not a bad one, with Greek Life providing a solid customer base at most schools. By giving their ideal customer base their product for free, Fetii has adopted the business model of many companies. Give your customers the product for free, get them hooked, get them to not be able to go back to living without it and then start making them pay.
Fetii is more involved on college campuses than just providing transportation and filming silly videos. They also sponsor parties to be featured on their social media pages. These videos show their intentions plain and clear — Fetii wants to be cool. They want to be a part of the college experience. They want to be as synonymous with college as frat parties, game days and horrible dining hall food. Fetii has a mission: to dominate the transportation market and to be the go-to for transportation for students on a night out.
All that being said, one might think my view of Fetii is a negative one. I have not been too kind to their image or business so far. However, honestly, I love them. I love Fetii. I love the image they have created. In a time when everything seems so serious and every decision we make has so many consequences, a company promoting unabashed aloofness is refreshing. Generation Z has been criticized as not being fun enough, for never going out, for never partying but Fetii disputes those rumours. It shows my generation having pure unashamed fun.
I love seeing “frat” guys who act just like they came out of Animal House or Neighbors clad in khaki shorts and a polo, speaking with the most perfect “fratccent,” showing off their houses filled with safety hazards. I love seeing girls with perfect tans and a fresh balayage show off their stacks of enewton bracelets. To put it simply, I love seeing people having fun, and I think we need more Fetii energy on this campus.