From cows to Slurpees, brands take unofficial holidays to bank
Chick-fil-A, 7-Eleven among companies that offer free food to help drive up sales
Lindsay McDonald got 12 free chicken nuggets from Chick-fil-A on Tuesday for wearing spotted cow overalls with rubber udders in front and a tail attached to the back.
The University of Virginia student dropped by a Chick-fil-A in Woodbridge, Va., with a dozen swimmers she coaches. It’s a tradition at their summer camp to dress up as cows for free chicken on the fast-food chain’s self-appointed Cow Appreciation Day, she said.
It’s “a little hot, honestly … but I love wearing it every year,” she said. “Everyone likes to see me in the full costume.”
The 12th annual event was part of Chick-fil-A’s “Eat Mor Chikin” campaign. Its participation has soared by 30% per year since 2010, Mark Baldwin, the company’s public relations manager, said in an email. In 2015, Chickfil-A gave out 1 million chicken sandwiches, and #Cow AppreciationDay was mentioned more than 700,000 times on social media, Baldwin said.
Offering free food on unofficial holidays to raise brand awareness and boost sales isn’t exclusive to Chick-fil-A. Among freebie feast choices this week: Slurpees at 7Eleven on Monday (July 11 = 7/ 11), hot dogs at Pilot Flying J on Thursday (National Hot Dog Day) and waffle cones at Cold Stone Creamery for club members on Sunday (National Ice Cream Day). Every day is designated to celebrate something, often multiple things, according to the National Day Calendar. For instance, Tuesday was also National Pecan Pie Day.
The calendar received more than 18,000 requests in 2015 for
“It’s a great time for Slurpee lovers to try our new summer flavors — this year, it’s Sour Patch Redberry Slurpee and our limitededition Birthday Cake Slurpee.” Laura Gordon, 7-Eleven’s vice president of marketing
new unofficial holidays, founder Marlo Anderson said. Half are business-related and a quarter are product-specific.
Social media enable unofficial holidays to grow a following without overwhelming consumers, said Michael Katz, economics professor at the University of California-Berkeley.
“The ability to target an audience creates room for more of these,” he said.
Launching a campaign that’s sure to take a loss to attract new customers or to promote something more profitable is a common marketing tactic called the Loss Leader strategy, said professor Josh Eliashberg at The Wharton School. Having customers try a new product for free is more effective than running an ad.
For 7-Eleven, the July 11 celebration is both about thanking customers and promoting new concoctions.
“It’s a great time for Slurpee lovers to try our new summer flavors — this year, it’s Sour Patch Redberry Slurpee and our limited-edition Birthday Cake Slurpee,” said Laura Gordon, the convenience store chain’s vice president of marketing, adding the chain gave out 9 million Slurpees on Monday.
Many brands say they simply want to build brand loyalty.
“We find these celebrations drive lots of conversation and excitement around our brands,” said Justin Drake, senior manager of public relations at the Dunkin’ Brands Group. Dunkin’ Donuts offered a free doughnut with any beverage purchase on National Doughnut Day on the first Friday of June.
The hot dog industry picked its national day in mid-July to ride the popularity spike on Independence Day. Grocery stores sold 2.2 million more pounds of hot dogs during the week of Hot Dog Day in 2015 than the weekly average last year, said Eric Mittenthal, president of the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council.
While the advantages for businesses promoting unofficial holidays are appealing, companies should do their homework before launching a campaign, said Lynn Dornblaser, director of innovation and insight at Mintel International Group. That means a detailed cost-benefit analysis, brainstorming channels to deliver products that best serve the goal and working out logistics.
“Make sure you don’t run out (of the giveaway products). That will blow up in your face,” she said.