This past summer, Dairy Queen (DQ) partnered with Girl Scouts of the USA to combine its frozen treat the Blizzard with the Thin Mint Girl Scout cookie. DQ wanted to promote its limited-time offer dessert and salute the Girl Scouts for its community service and leadership.
It called upon AOR Pierson Grant PR to plan a media blitz around its new treat and celebrations at local DQs for Girl Scout Appreciation Week in July.
Strategy
The team wanted to promote the new treat and the relationship DQ had with the Girl Scouts, says Maria Pierson, CEO of Pierson Grant.
It decided to promote the family-friendly aspect of DQ, incorporating Girl Scouts in local initiatives and encouraging them to participate in the events. “It fit with all the strategies [to have] everybody involved,” she adds.
Tactics
The team undertook significant amounts of local media outreach, Pierson says. To kick off the month, it sent several hundred boxes of Thin Mints to local media, as well as free Blizzard coupons, adds Dean Peters, director of communications for DQ. It also leveraged DQ's Facebook and MySpace pages, Pierson says.
Additionally, Pierson set up an interview with Fox Business Channel's Money for Breakfast for DQ chief brand officer Michael Keller, where he discussed the treat. The team also invited Warren Buffet to the kick-off event on July 1 for a financial roundtable with Girl Scouts, which was later turned into b-roll and put on YouTube.
Results
More than 10 million Thin Mint Blizzards were sold during the month of July, Peters says, adding that he's had numerous calls to bring the Blizzard flavor back.
“We had people saying they were going back again and again,” he adds. “We really created that crave.”
Future
The team continues to work with DQ on various projects, including its upcoming 25th anniversary events.
PR team: Dairy Queen (Minneapolis) and Pierson Grant PR (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
Campaign: Thin Mint Blizzard promotion
Duration: June-July 2008
Budget: $25,000
It called upon AOR Pierson Grant PR to plan a media blitz around its new treat and celebrations at local DQs for Girl Scout Appreciation Week in July.
Strategy
The team wanted to promote the new treat and the relationship DQ had with the Girl Scouts, says Maria Pierson, CEO of Pierson Grant.
It decided to promote the family-friendly aspect of DQ, incorporating Girl Scouts in local initiatives and encouraging them to participate in the events. “It fit with all the strategies [to have] everybody involved,” she adds.
Tactics
The team undertook significant amounts of local media outreach, Pierson says. To kick off the month, it sent several hundred boxes of Thin Mints to local media, as well as free Blizzard coupons, adds Dean Peters, director of communications for DQ. It also leveraged DQ's Facebook and MySpace pages, Pierson says.
Additionally, Pierson set up an interview with Fox Business Channel's Money for Breakfast for DQ chief brand officer Michael Keller, where he discussed the treat. The team also invited Warren Buffet to the kick-off event on July 1 for a financial roundtable with Girl Scouts, which was later turned into b-roll and put on YouTube.
Results
More than 10 million Thin Mint Blizzards were sold during the month of July, Peters says, adding that he's had numerous calls to bring the Blizzard flavor back.
“We had people saying they were going back again and again,” he adds. “We really created that crave.”
Future
The team continues to work with DQ on various projects, including its upcoming 25th anniversary events.
PR team: Dairy Queen (Minneapolis) and Pierson Grant PR (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
Campaign: Thin Mint Blizzard promotion
Duration: June-July 2008
Budget: $25,000
