Wendy’s boosts local presence with event sponsorship

A Wendy’s franchisee group was looking to enhance their local community presence through a major sports event sponsorship but had a limited budget. They turned to Ansira, who helped them secure a major league baseball sponsorship with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

A Wendy’s franchisee in Phoenix, Arizona, wanted to boost visibility within their local community by securing an event sponsorship with a pro-sports team. However, their limited local marketing funds made obtaining a meaningful sponsorship a challenge.

Ansira created a custom event sponsorship focused on establishing key “tent pole” events throughout the Diamondback’s season. Events were aimed at creating local community goodwill and included traffic drivers to local Wendy’s restaurants. This allowed Wendy’s to maximize their budget and give the impression of a more substantial partnership. It also fulfilled the co-op’s objectives of engaging with the Hispanic audience and promoting local community involvement.

As part of this sponsorship, Ansira used amplification tools to maximize Wendy’s exposure both inside and outside of the stadium.

Outside the stadium

The team utilized local TV ads, Spanish radio spots, and diverse promotional materials to boost visibility around Wendy’s event dates. In-restaurant promotions included branded T-shirts and mascot photoshoots. Digital efforts featured homepage takeovers, e-blasts, and web banners on the Diamondbacks’ platforms.

The Wendy’s and Diamondback’s sponsorship yielded impressive results by the end of 2023:

Television:

• Over 2 million impressions
• 90 in-game TV spots (:30 each)

Spanish radio:

• 921 radio spots
• 162 live in-game mentions

Digital:

• 750,000 web banner impressions
• 531,000 emails sent, with over 220,000 opens and 880 clicks
• 102,000 homepage takeover impressions

Inside the stadium

Wendy’s was highlighted on in-stadium LED displays, PA announcements, and a PSA video featuring pitcher Kevin Ginkel. The Mr. Frosty mascot, coupon and gift card giveaways, T-shirt tosses, and a photo station engaged fans, while an MLB Ballpark App check-in offer enhanced digital interaction.

Kids-Free Weekend:

• 23,478 kids’ tickets redeemed
• 90,000 post-game free nugget emails sent to attendees

In-Stadium Distribution:

• $5,00 worth of Wendy’s gift cards
• 7,000 free kids meal coupons
• 3,000 free lemonade coupons
• 600 T-shirts

With the help of Ansira, Wendy’s successfully enhanced their local community presence and engaged their target audience. From millions of digital and TV impressions to significant in-stadium engagement, these results demonstrate the power of a well-executed sponsorship in achieving brand visibility and community connection, even on a limited local budget.