Wendy’s is leaning into the dunk.
Yes, the basketball-themed dunk, of course, but also the combo of slamming a French fry into a Wendy’s Frosty.
“We took a completely different and fresh approach this year with our message,” Wendy’s Chief Marketing Officer Lindsay Radkoski told Sports Business Journal of its March Madness advertising approach. “... There’s a lot of people out there talking about hamburgers at this moment. And we were in a hamburger wars thing a couple weeks ago, and that’s a lot of fun. But one of the things that’s super unique to Wendy’s is that our customers dunk fries in Frosties.
“We saw this opportunity where dunks are the most epic energy-giving moment of the game, and it’s something that people love about our brand, we just realized, ‘How did we not see this synergy in the past?’”
Wendy’s has long been involved in college sports, with participation in the NCAA’s corporate champions program is entering its eighth year. That’s seen the company advertise and activate in myriad ways around March Madness, but this year is a bit different.
A new playbook
Radkoski noted the company shifted its focus away from broadcasters, former players and other stalwarts to current athletes, thanks to the advent of NIL. Its first roster of college athletes for March Madness includes Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg, Illinois’ Keaton Wagler, Arizona’s Breya Cunningham and UConn’s Sarah Strong.
“This is the first year we’ve really played that card in a big way,” Radkoski said. “Part of that was just for us first watching the NIL landscape to figure out what’s going to stick, how long is it going to stick? Where are people going to stub their toe? How can we learn from others?
“As the social and influencer world has also evolved where there’s subcultures and micro-influencers, and people want to see their local celebs on social media, the idea of it doesn’t have to always be the ‘A++ person.’ It allows a lot more people to get in the conversation.”
These efforts have been matched in real time — part of the rationale for Wendy’s approach this year and planning to sign players during the tournament.
Take St. John’s G Dylan Darling, who propelled the Red Storm to the Elite Eight thanks to a buzzer-beating layup that downed Kansas.
A group of Wendy’s marketing reps were tuned into the games when Darling’s shot fell, beginning a swift process of matching the company with Darling through its creative agency of record, VML, and Postgame, an NIL and sports marketing-centric group, that is helping wade through the logistics of signing college players to endorsement deals.
Darling had a deal signed and posted a Wendy’s promo video a day later.
“This approach allows us to learn so much about a different playbook,” Radkoski said. “To me, it feels more modern that it’s tied to using athletes as influencers on a micro level and getting more of them involved.”
