Dairy Queen Targets McDonald’s with New Ad Campaign
Dairy Queen is looking to take on McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD) in the minds of families. A new ad campaign is intended to position Dairy Queen as a family-friendly destination according to Adweek. Seven commercials, 15 radio spots and two websites (Blizzardfanclub.com and Deeqs.com) will be part of the campaign.
I saw the first commercial last night. It’s called “Parent’s Day” and it’s set in a grade school classroom with fathers lined up outside the classroom dressed in their work uniforms (an astronaut, a lion tamer, and a guy with a jet pack) watching while another father, the local Dairy Queen franchise owner, makes Blizzards for the children. Naturally, the kids cheer and the lion tamer says, “Tough act to follow.”
Somehow, this commercial is supposed to show that Dairy Queen franchise owners are local heros. Michael Keller, Dairy Queen chief brand officer, says, “By having the franchisee at the center of spot, for a lot people it’s easier to relate to the hero in the community than someone who is an astronaut or spy.”
It’s actually a cute commercial, but I don’t think it positions Dairy Queen as a family-friendly destination to more effectively compete directly with McDonald’s. Frankly, I thought Dairy Queen was already a family-friendly destination. I’m just not understanding this whole strategy. Is it just me?
Image source: Dairy Queen
Tags: Dairy Queen, Dairy Queen commercial, McDonald’s, brand position, brand repositioning, advertising
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POSTED IN: advertising
1 opinion for Dairy Queen Targets McDonald’s with New Ad Campaign
Scott
Apr 16, 2008 at 5:15 am
I remember 30 years ago a Dairy Queen Brazier near my home; the “Brazier” denoting that they served food other than just ice cream. Back then I found their fare (hamburgers, hotdogs, corndogs, french fries, onion rings, etc.) a notch above McDonald’s offerings, but they lost ground to the machine that Krok built. I don’t know if they can regain much of that through this campaign unless they can truly compete on price. Of quality & service I have no doubt because McDonald’s has been sliding quite a bit over the years.
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