Dairy Queen and The Gophers Team Up to Drive Store Traffic...

Are you looking to leverage a team partnership to drive retail traffic? Are you looking to drive buzz in your local community around a strong QSR partnership program? Are you looking to leverage a corporate partner to help promote the grand opening of your new venue?

If the answer is "Yes" to any of the these three (3) questions, take a look at an impressive program that Dairy Queen and the University of Minnesota Athletic Department collaborated to develop. In November of 2007, Dairy Queen signed on as an official partner of Gopher Athletics, investing $2.5MM in support of the UofM's new TCF Bank Stadium. The primary component of the partnership is the "DQ Stadium Club", a new clubroom at TCF Bank Stadium that will provide Dairy Queen with prominent in-venue exposure.

To complement the DQ Stadium Club, the University of Minnesota and Dairy Queen developed the "Ultimate Homecoming" tour, a statewide initiative that will visit all 87 counties in the state of Minnesota. The UofM will leverage their partnership with Dairy Queen by hosting each county event at a local Dairy Queen establishment in each of the state's 87 counties. The program will in turn drive strong community buzz and a continuous flow of incremental traffic to Dairy Queen establishments around the state over the next fifteen (15) months (leading up until the 2009 season opener at TCF Bank Stadium).

The Golden Gophers recently featured head football coach Tim Brewster, the Gopher Wagon, Goldy (the mascot), and the marching band at a Dairy Queen in St. Paul to kick off the tour and are encouraging Gopher fans to come out and enjoy a treat "with the Gophers". Head men's basketball coach Tubby Smith, among others, will also make appearances throughout the year. This is such a great in-state initiative because it drives DIRECT traffic to Dairy Queen locations and effectively intertwines the Dairy Queen brand with the University of Minnesota Athletic Department. 

Dairy Queen also activates its UofM partnership with scoreboard signage, ribbon board signage, a suite, and a variety of other benefits. The Edina, MN based chain with 5,600 locations nationwide also sponsors the Dairy Queen Baseball Classic for Gopher baseball, distributes free game ticket vouchers at participating DQ restaurants, and serves as an active supporter of the University's Carlson School of Management.

While on the topic of Dairy Queen, be sure to sign up for their new Blizzard Fan Club for loyalty rewards and a free Blizzard treat when you sign up!