How a drive-thru mistake became an overnight smash hit marketing campaign
#TheUva is a perfect example of what happens when you choose to change the context of your problem instead of playing defense.
James Joyce once said, “Failures are the portals into discovery.” Here’s another brilliant example of that iconic quote in action.
One year ago this week, Columbia, S.C.-based sportscaster Mike Uva was just looking for a tasty Bojangles sandwich after covering a press conference at the University of South Carolina.
He ordered the Cajun Filet with pimento cheese. He got that — but instead of a regular biscuit like he asked, they put it on a blueberry-flavored “Bo Berry” biscuit.
Thus was born #TheUva.
Look, Twitter can be a scary place for brands. One minute you’re just posting something you thought was innocuous, the next you’re getting dragged across the internet.
But every now and then, when you choose to change the context of your problem instead of playing defense, magical things happen.
Within days of Mike’s tweet, #TheUva was a secret menu item. Within weeks, Mike was on signage all over town. And inside of a month, he was starring in a commercial about his own accidental ground-breaking discovery:
To this day, #TheUva is still going strong. Just ask anyone who follows the Gamecocks. It’s been nothing but win-win for both sides.
It’s also important to understand that, while a savvy marketer at Bojangles did a lot of the legwork to make this happen, you still need a great conductor to give it the right electricity.
Mike, to me, is the perfect spokesperson for what Bojangles wanted to do. He does hits from the tailgate lots with impeccable concentration. He constantly trades light-hearted barbs with fans, and sprinkles in the right amount of self-deprecation. Gamecock fans truly embrace him as one of their own, because he’s clearly having as much fun as them.
He’s also exceptional at bringing catchphrases to life.
One example: When Mike worked for me at ESPNBoston, doing highlights and stand-ups around our High School Game of the Week coverage, he loved to say “Weight room, son!” after a big hit. It didn’t take long for coaches and players on sidelines all over Massachusetts to start yelling this phrase in excitement after a big pop.
He brought that catchphrase with him to Columbia, and it took, like, three seconds for #WeightRoomSon to go viral. “#WeightRoomSon of the Week” became a staple of his station’s preps coverage. Players loved it. And before long, a local pizza parlor sponsored it, delivering a pizza every week to the player who made the biggest hit on the previous Friday night.
Another example: Mike is prone to respond “Mix in a water” to Gamecock fans who tweet at him with hot takes that sound a little too crazy, as if they might have had a few adult beverages in them when they thought of it. Today, you can buy your very own “Mix In A Water” T-shirt for the cool price of $19.99. You can also vote for #MixInAWater of the Week. And don’t forget to check out “Mix in a Water Mondays”.
There’s so many lessons that so many marketers can learn from #TheUva, as you’ll see in my Q&A with Mike here:
Brendan Hall: There's a very real stereotype about people in sports media taking to social media to complain about airlines. I'm curious, when you decided to tweet that, what reaction were you hoping to get from Bojangles?
Mike Uva: The only reason I shared the tweet that helped launch “The Uva,” is because I went to Bojangles that day after an introductory press conference for newly hired South Carolina wide receivers coach Justin Stepp. Stepp said how he was excited to be back in Columbia, and mentioned one of the reasons being because there’s so many Bojangles. I tweeted a picture out of securing my order that day and made a joke how Stepp, who is regarded as a bulldog when it comes to recruiting, had “recruited me” to go to Bojangles that day. I tweeted it out as a joke more than anything, because of Stepp, but never in my wildest dreams could’ve envisioned it becoming a thing once I tweeted a picture out of the actual biscuit itself.
BH: Was there any part of you that felt like you were being petty?
MU: No, because I didn’t have a motive and those who follow me on social media know that’s how I’ve always been. I like to keep things loose on social media and we enjoy busting chops — and getting our chops busted as well. But like how I’ve always treated Twitter, my intentions are to never come across like I’m swinging down on anyone.
BH: Take me through the next steps here. Elaborate as much as you want. How did a drive-thru mistake become "The Uva”?
MU: Once I tweeted out a photo of the Cajun filet with pimento cheese on a Bo-berry biscuit and wrote, “that’s a wild combination,” Gamecock Twitter started responding saying they were actually intrigued by it. Once I responded with a follow-up tweet about how I enjoyed it, over the next 48 hours people were lining up at Bojangles, wrapped around most drive-thrus throughout Columbia to order this biscuit that didn’t even have a name. Bojangles was so intrigued by how it was catching on, they took to social media three days later to share a professionally done photo of The Uva and announced that they were placing it on their secret menu. From there, they created two commercials and posters with my face on it with The Uva and placed them at about 40 Bojangles locations around Columbia, SC.
BH: Some companies may look at a social media complaint and go into defense mode, or worse, shrug it off as a lost customer. Do you have any insight into why Bojangles chose to react this way? And why you were the right vehicle to spin this into a new opportunity?
MU: Joe Polek, who is a Regional Marketing Manager for Bojangles, used to work at my old TV station before I arrived there. He knew who I was, and the type of person I am, and was a huge part in making The Uva an actual menu item. Seeing how the situation always stayed positive, he recognized that this could be a positive for Bojangles. I was two months removed from breaking the biggest story of my sports reporting career, so I had more traffic on my social media page than ever before. Unlike most local reporters, I enjoy responding to people on social media, so people who followed my coverage felt like they were part of this. Bojangles interactions were blowing up and things remained positive. I was told they thought it would die down after a couple days, but it just kept growing and it began to expand outside of the state of South Carolina.
BH: There's an old saying in marketing that "brand drives demand". Do you have any insights into how "The Uva" has performed, or how it's connecting to Bojangles' success in the area?
MU: To my knowledge, The Uva was ordered in 11 states in the first three months. I don’t have their numbers, but I know their social media traffic has increased because of it. It’s crazy, I started getting recognized more as the “biscuit guy” or the “guy from Bojangles” than I did at first with being on TV. I was at a bar one night with Gamecock legend Alshon Jeffery, and a guy came over to ask for a photo. Not with him, a Super Bowl champion, but with me. I can’t help but laugh just knowing how lucky I’ve been with this. This opportunity literally was put in my lap at a drive-thru.
BH: What's your reaction every time somebody orders "The Uva”?
MU: At first, I thought it was hilarious. But as time went on, I became more honored than anything else. The first couple months I’d wake up every morning to a couple tweets of someone sending me a picture of The Uva they ordered. I grew quickly to appreciate people taking the time to leave their homes, drive to a Bojangles, order a biscuit that they’ve never tried before, and then tweet it at me. The number of times when I’m out in the city and I’ll have people just come over to ask me, “so is that biscuit really good?”, or to tell me they’ve ordered it before, has been incredible.
BH: What are the next steps? Where do you think this all goes from here?
MU: Bojangles and I have had a strong relationship ever since The Uva took off. Back in the fall, they signed me on as a social media influencer, in hopes to spread the brand in this market and beyond. They’ve took very good care of me this past year so whenever I get the opportunities, I like giving out as much Bojangles as I can to others as a way to say thank you because without social media keeping it going, it would’ve died quickly. It’s helped my career in sportscasting as well as my employer, as it’s something that still gets brought up about when I’m a guest on SEC Network, SiriusXM Radio, or when I’m out covering a game. I joke with people that this my Al Bundy rushing for four touchdowns in a single game at Polk High moment. I’m gonna enjoy the ride as long as I can, but I’m extremely grateful for everything it’s done to help change my life.