After walking away from its corporate deal with MLB, Dairy Queen has landed another baseball sponsorship opportunity -- this time with the Savannah Bananas.
The sponsorship deal between the Bananas and DQ was brokered by DQ’s agency Publicis Sports. As part of the pact, the Bananas’ unique rule that a batter is out when a foul ball is caught by a fan will be known as the DQ Shake Snag, and result in all fans in attendance being eligible for a free small shake. That could include the new Savannah Bananas Split Shake, which will be available in DQ stores starting Feb. 23. DQ will also receive national TV ad spots and social content.
Becky Felling, DQ’s VP of Marketing/Communications, explained why the deal was attractive.
“It was the right moment for us to partner with something different, and the Bananas are having such a moment in culture that is extending beyond avid sports fans and into family entertainment in a way that’s just fresh and exciting,” Felling said.
Felling said conversations with the Bananas started last summer before being finalized in the late fall. They had paralleled DQ’s thought-process in considering whether to renew with MLB. DQ departed after four years as an MLB patron, though it will continue as a media spender.
Bananas President Jared Orton said, “DQ had purchased commercial spots during our national broadcasts last year with ESPN. They became more interested in how to fully integrate across all of Banana Ball and especially our live audience and we began to start the conversations about what a partnership may look like for that to happen.”
