US quick service restaurant chain Denny’s promotes the limited time return of its Super Slam breakfast by partnering with Stanford University basketball player and dunk phenomenon Fran Belibiyt for a campaign titled #SuperSlamFran which also supports the Women’s Sports Foundation.
Denny’s marketers drive home the message that its breakfast is a slam dunk via an integrated campaign led by a 15-second digital-only spot running across the brand’s Twitter and Instagram channels featuring Belibi soaring over a Super Slam meal to execute a slam dunk.
Launched poon 6 January, ‘Denny’s Super Slam Meets #SuperSlamFran’ asks viewers ‘What do you get when you bring the $6.99 Super Slam together with Super Slammer Fran Belibi? A partnership for a great cause’ before explaining that the student athlete endorser deal supports female athletes through donating to the Women’s Sports Foundation.
The creative also seeks to channel consumers online to learn more about the Women’s Sports Foundation at https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/
The ‘Name, Image, Likeness’ (NIL) deal sees the restaurant chain donate $25,000 in Belibi’s name to the Billie Jean King-founded Women’s Sports Foundation.
“For Denny’s, NIL deals are about more than just paying student athletes. It’s about lifting up underrepresented student athletes and giving them the platform they deserve,” explained Denny’s Chief Brand Officer John Dillon. “The Super Slam promotion coming up got us thinking about slam dunks, and then we found Fran—a Stanford junior who not only won the 2019 High School Slam Dunk competition but also slammed twice in a game last season,” he added. “She is the perfect representation of all the talented female athletes out there that we are excited to support.”
According to Dillon, in terms of campaign objectives for its NIL led initiatives Denny’s is “looking beyond mere earned impressions and likes”.
“We’ve learned that these opportunities have had a big impact on the lives of some of these athletes, who are juggling school, after-school jobs, practice and just being kids,” he outlined. “NIL deals allow these students to dedicate their time to what makes them such successful student athletes, furthering their education and refining their athletic talent.”
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This product-endorser name-link initiative leverages the fact Belibi is one of only eight women to ever to complete a slam dunk in a college game: something she first accomplished in December 2020. Since then, the 2021 NCAA champion dunked twice last season and she was the first to complete an ‘alley-oop dunk’ at any level of women’s basketball while still in high school.
This partnership is the latest Denny’s NIL led campaign featuring student athletes and follows on from September 2021’s ‘All Pancaker Team’ initiative featuring four college offensive linemen.
This is one of many student athlete NIL brand marketing deals which have included a philanthropic component and Denny’s says that its focus on equity in sports and its donation to the Women’s Sports Foundation will continue beyond this campaign
“WSF does incredible work to help women athletes everywhere,” Dillon added. “The donation is only one part of this idea.” The restaurant plans to use the upcoming 50th anniversary of Title IX to encourage recognition of women athletes and support groups committed to women’s inclusion and equality in sports.
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