Pizza Ranch, an Orange City, IA, based 215-unit pizza chain, partnered with Midwest Dairy to run a promotional advertising program called “Making Buffet Memories” in 2021.
The goal of the program was to encourage local Pizza Ranch customers to dine back in the restaurant and remind them of what they love about a buffet. Pizza Ranch’s goal was to reintroduce customers to their buffets, which lost traffic during the pandemic. During the promotional period, this partnership led to an increased dairy usage of more than 800,000 pounds of milk.
The campaign ran from August 9 to October 11, 2021, and featured email marketing, direct mail, and social media advertising. As part of this marketing strategy, Midwest Dairy farmers were featured in in-store marketing materials to showcase dairy’s local connections. These investments resulted in a social media reach of over 900,000 people and 73,000 total engagements. An email marketing campaign was also sent to 732,000 recipients promoting dairy products in creative ways, including “Unlimited Stuffed Crust on the Buffet,” “Ice Cream and Cactus Bread on the Buffet,” and get the “Buffet Your Way” with your favorite pizza.
Lastly, Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, a fast-food restaurant chain, has officially partnered with Midwest Dairy to celebrate National Dairy Month this June. Freddy’s has more than 450 locations across the United States and is headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. Not only is Freddy’s headquarters in the Midwest, but the majority of its stores are also located in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, and South Dakota.
This campaign promotes dairy products people love and enjoy by bringing local farm-to-table products to the forefront of consumers’ menu choices. Freddy’s customers will have the opportunity to order a three-product group combo meal with each product including some element of dairy. The combo meal is a limited-time offer and includes a BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger with double the cheese, and a side of Cheese Curds. In addition, for a limited time, a Key Lime Pie Concrete Custard will be available.
The promotion runs through the end of August, including the celebration of National Custard Day on August 8th. A marketing package was created, complete with many photos highlighting these dairy products and dairy farmers.