The Challenge: Promote a Core Menu Item as an Exclusive Celebrity Meal Deal

For the second year of our partnership with Josh Abbott, we faced the challenge of turning his favorite, non-customized Dairy Queen meal—a four-piece steak finger basket with fries, gravy, a large unsweet tea, and an M&M Blizzard—into an "exclusive" offering. Additionally, operators were resistant to significant discounting, meaning we had to rely heavily on Josh's popularity to drive the campaign.

Our Strategy: Authenticity and Relatability Through Josh Abbott's Personality

We crafted a concept that leaned into authenticity by capturing Josh Abbott and his band in real-life moments. While on tour, we filmed them stopping by a Dairy Queen to enjoy his favorite meal, ensuring the content showcased Josh’s genuine, humble character through interviews and fun interactions with his bandmates. The lighthearted atmosphere of the shoot reflected Josh's down-to-earth personality and resonated well with his fan base.

On social media, we built upon this authenticity by emphasizing the idea of "being more like Josh Abbott." We also executed a custom hat giveaway, creating a Dairy Queen-branded hat with Josh's signature that he personally loved and wore during shows. His enthusiasm for the hat translated into high engagement, with fan entries for the giveaway exceeding expectations. Josh even ran his own giveaway in tandem, amplifying the campaign's reach.

This approach allowed us to leverage Josh Abbott's relatability and personality to successfully promote core menu items, during a time when celebrity meal deals were a trending strategy across the industry.