How Dairy Queen used ‘Taylor & Swift’ to win the Super Bowl conversation

Challenge:

Official NFL sponsors and advertisers spent millions to dominate Super Bowl week. Dairy Queen needed a culturally relevant, nimble, and ownable way to break through—without a Super Bowl media buy. As speculation swirled around a potential halftime appearance from the world’s most famous pop star, we saw an opportunity to insert DQ into the conversation.

Approach:

Introduced the “Taylor & Swift Halftime Feast,” debuting DQ’s new Chicken Strip Party Platters and using cultural misdirection to spark curiosity without naming the pop star
Positioned NFL players Tyrod Taylor and D’Andre Swift (aka Taylor & Swift) as the unexpected “halftime performers,” delivering a deliberate bait-and-switch reveal
Anchored the campaign with a pre-game and in-game content series across social
Fueled momentum with earned media outreach across sports, entertainment, and advertising trades, plus Super Bowl Radio Row interviews with both players

Impact:

Inserted DQ into national halftime speculation without a seven-figure media investment
Generated widespread earned and social coverage across sports, entertainment, and trade outlets during Super Bowl week
Sparked significant social conversation by rewarding audiences “in on the joke” and brought DQ toward the top of the category leaderboard with the brand ranking 4th for cross-channel engagement during Super Bowl week (increasing 441% from same time last year) and 3rd for cross-channel conversation

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