Dairy Queen Ad- VISA 1500

Advertisement Analysis

The advertisement pictured is from Dairy Queen (DQ) and is the type of advertisement that’s trying to sell you a product. It shows a photo of DQ’s new blizzards and was created to sell these limited fall-time flavoured treats. At the top of this advert, we see a very autumn-like orange background and following through to the center is the focal point, which is a top-view of the two new fall themed blizzards, looking rather large in size, topped with whipped cream. In both, the ice cream a soft orange, matching the top half of the poster. As we move further down we see the other half of the advert is a turquoise-blue colour. Orange and blue are opposite each other on the colour wheel, making them complimentary and therefor making the advertisement a bit more striking visually. In the middle we see the words “Sweet As Pie” in bold white letters, followed by the names of the new blizzards, and then at the bottom we see Dairy Queens “DQ” logo. The image’s intended effect is to get customers to buy into the idea and tastes of the season. The elements of the photo that produce this effect are the autumn orangey colours, the added whip cream on top of the blizzards (to make them resemble a slice of pie) and the catchy “Sweet As Pie” text. All these elements scream fall time tastes, as pumpkin, caramel and apple are very popular flavours around the season of Thanksgiving and Halloween. In my opinion, this image is very effective in getting the message across considering all these fall colours and flavours shown. I know that when I saw this poster I wanted to head down the street and grab myself one of these blizzards just because I love the season so much and it’s really playing off that seasonal atmosphere. I found this advertisement on the side of a bus station shelter next to the highway. It’s also located about 70-feet away from a Dairy Queen down the road. This ad is very noticeable in its environment because it is colourful and stands out against the muted greys and dark greens of the highway and trees. DQ’s brand in this ad is definitely recognizable, as we have the complimentary colours, the iconic DQ logo, middle placement and large size of the blizzards themselves and the additions to the menu that brand into the season. DQ has a lot of branding that has been built upon critiques and complaints of the chain. For example, according to an article written by Maria Scinto on mashed.com (an all things food and cooking website),  DQ has faced some trouble with complaints about their food in the past, and in describing these complaints, Scinto specifies that “what’s really upsetting, however, is complaints from customers claiming that their DQ burgers caused them to experience serious food poisoning symptoms.” In addition to this, an interview done by QSR Magazine with Barry Westrum, executive vice president of marketing at American Dairy Queen Corp. explains that DQ has struggled selling their food in addition to ice cream, and “through research, [they found] that consumers see Dairy Queen as a bit of an underdog in the corporate fast-food world,” which was why the brand “fan food, not fast food” was introduced. Although not pictured in this particular advertisement, DQ’s fan food brand is extremely recognizable and is a result of consumer critique.

Cited Sources

Gregory, Jennifer. “From Fast Food to Fan Food.” QSR Magazine, Aug. 2013, www.qsrmagazine.com/marketing-promotions/fast-food-fan-food.

Scinto, Maria. “What You Should Absolutely Never Order from Dairy Queen.” Mashed.com, Mashed, 14 May 2019, www.mashed.com/152831/what-you-should-absolutely-never-order-from-dairy-queen/.