Bojangles is shifting gears on its sports marketing

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Bojangles is putting a slight twist on two of its sports marketing mainstays: college football and NASCAR.

In recent months, the Charlotte-based fast-food company has signed 70 college athletes — many of them football and men’s basketball players — to promote its tailgate-friendly menu of chicken and biscuits.

Endorsers include Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei and UNC Chapel Hill quarterback Sam Howell. They are among the highest-profile college players in Bojangles’ core Carolinas markets, home to 469 of the restaurant chain’s 772 stores. Known as name, image, and likeness agreements, they are college sports’ version of what long ago became common in pro sports: familiar players pitching products. The difference is that college players were prohibited from profiting from their names and likenesses until state laws changed, and the NCAA relented, effective July 1.

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On the NASCAR side, Bojangles last year signed retired driver and current NBC Sports analyst Dale Earnhardt Jr. as the voice of its ad campaigns as part of Bojangles’ update to its logo, restaurants, and overall presentation.

Dale Jr. and Bojangles had worked together before, including an appearance in a TV ad while he was still an active driver. The Bojangles ad was tied to his Pepsi endorsement. In September, the company added Dale Jr.’s weekly podcast to the mix.

Jackie Woodward, Bojangles chief brand and marketing officer, said that sports has been and will continue to be the heart of the company’s marketing efforts. The newest additions represent tweaks rather than a shift in direction.

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