Not all sports promotions are created equally. Bojangles’ biscuits promotion at UNC men’s basketball team home games is one example of a successful sports marketing gimmick. When UNC’s team scores 100 points or more, fans can get two sausage biscuits for a buck the next morning at participating Triangle-area Bojangles. There are several reasons the promotion has been so successful over the years. I’d like to highlight a few:
1)North Carolina company. Bojangles’ headquarters are located in Charlotte, N.C. and the fried chicken chain got its start in eastern North Carolina. There are a lot of Bojangles in the Triangle region, including one a short 15-minute drive from the Smith Center arena. Thus, Bojangles resonates with North Carolina fans because it is a North Carolina company with a strong following in the market where the promotion is held.
2)Affordability. I don’t have access to company data so I have no idea how much money Bojangles makes/loses on the promotion, what they paid for the promotion, or how many UNC fans actually take them up on the offer. But the fact is that the prize give-away amounts to less than $1 in value.
3)Fun. The promotion is fun. The crowds love it because it gives fans a reason to stick around for what is usually a lopsided blowout win. When the score hovers in the mid to high 90s, crowds predictably will start the “We want biscuits!” chant. In Sunday’s victory, UNC starter Dexter Strickland hit a free throw in the final minute to put the team at the century mark. Usually, however, a seldom-used reserve is the one to hit the shot to kick in the contest results. Dewey Burke even earned the nickname “Biscuits” by being clutch in delivering the Bojangles promotion reward.
4)Longevity. The promotion has been around for several years and only applies to home games, but that doesn’t stop Tar Heel fans from chanting for biscuits even when they’re on the road. When UNC blew out Hofstra in San Juan, the biscuit chant returned, prompting point guard Larry Drew to tell a reporter after the game “if they want biscuits, who are we not to give the people biscuits?” The Bojangles promotion resonates with Tar Heel fans and has definitely had staying power.
Graybs 