To kick off football season, Buffalo Wild Wings is debuting a new marketing campaign and hosting a head-to-head competition between sports bars, as the brand firmly plants its flag as the provider of the Greatest of All Times.
“The start of football season is not only one of the most anticipated times of year for sports fans, it’s also an exciting time for Buffalo Wild Wings sports bars across the country. Kickoff means getting together with your crew to watch the game, feasting on great food and making unforgettable memories together,” said Rita Patel, Chief Marketing Officer, Buffalo Wild Wings. “Our Greatest of All Times campaign is all about bringing that camaraderie to life. Whether that means gathering at our sports bars or at home, we’ve got you covered this fall!
Head-to-Head Sports Bar Competition with IBM Watson
There’s something about college that brings out camaraderie. Maybe it’s the sense of competition that’s synonymous with college life – intramurals, comparing grades, rivalries with other schools. Or maybe it’s the feeling of being a part of a community of likeminded peers. Whatever it is, college students want nothing more than to gather with friends, root for a common goal and have a good time doing it.
Buffalo Wild Wings is tapping into that camaraderie and competitive spirit to kick off the college football season.
As the teams from Minneapolis and Columbus take the field on Thursday, September 2, fans at the Buffalo Wild Wings sports bars nearest to their school’s football stadium will be steeped in a head-to-head competition, where they’ll compete against one another in various challenges to determine who really had the Greatest of All Times.
Buffalo Wild Wings is partnering with Converge Technology Solutions to use IBM Watson to assist in the process of tallying scores during the competition, marking the first-ever application of the artificial intelligence technology in a head-to-head competition between two different sites.
The competition will be scored based on three categories:
- Great Times: Measured by Watson Speech to Text and Watson Tone Analyzer, the technology will capture noise levels, tone and keywords from microphones at each sports bar. The data will then be transferred to the IBM Cloud where a machine learning model will calculate sentiment scores. Cheers and roars will lead to a higher output, while groans and muted noise will result in a lower score.
- Wings Eaten: It’s simple – crush wings, score points.
- Blazin’ Challenges Completed: Any brave fans who take down 10 bone-in Blazin’ Carolina Reaper wings in five minutes or less will record points for their sports bar. But remember, no drinks or dipping sauces!
Points will be recorded in real time and displayed on a live scoreboard at each sports bar. The fanbase that wins at least two of the three categories will be crowned the winner. The winning city will receive a donation to the Buffalo Wild Wings Foundation to support local youth through partners like Boys & Girls Clubs.
The ‘Greatest of All Times’ Ad Creative
The Greatest of All Times ad creative will debut this week.
Everyone has a great sports bar story. That time when the game, fandom and food all collided to create not just a great night but the greatest night of all time. Through the Greatest of All Times, Buffalo Wild Wings seeks to replicate those moments for its fans – the ups and downs, the cheers and tears, the high-fives and heartbreaks. It’s all part of the Buffalo Wild Wings experience.
The spots hit hard on why consumers choose us: our fresh beer, delicious bar food and craveable sauces.
Football-Inspired Menu Offerings
Buffalo Wild Wings is adding football-inspired food and drink offerings to its menu beginning on September 1.
Fans watching from the sports bar this season can take advantage of the Tablegate Bundle in sports bars which includes 20 boneless wings, Everything Pretzel Knots and Buffalo Chicken Tots, while the Tailgate Bundle – featuring 15 boneless wings, 15 traditional wings, Everything Pretzel Knots and a large order of Tots – is available for takeout or delivery.
Buffalo Wild Wings is also rolling out the Spiked Football, a tiki style drink served in a custom football-shaped glass. The drink is made with Captain Morgan Spiced Rum, coconut, lime and pineapple juices.
Other fan favorites perfect for football season include Buffalo Wild Wings’ lineup of hand-smashed burgers, hand breaded chicken sandwiches and shareable appetizers.
