QSR Magazine

January 9, 2012

By Sam Oches

January is generally the month New Year’s resolution holders stay true to their goals, and Smoothie King announced a new campaign that it hopes will help those who have resolved to get in better shape.

The Iam1 campaign launches January 10 and runs through February 29. The campaign revolves around a microsite that invites guests to share their Smoothie King–related weight-lost stories—both stories of success and stories of struggle.

Bobby Williams, vice president of marketing for Smoothie King, told QSR in an exclusive interview that the Iam1 campaign was spurred by hearing from customers who use its menu items, like the Lean1 and Gladiator products, to get in better shape.

“It’s really reaching out to the huge number of guests who constantly send us notes about how not only do they love the taste of Smoothie King, but more often than not about how it’s helped them to live a healthier lifestyle,” Williams says.

Through the Iam1 microsite, which will be integrated in print, social media, POP, and local-store marketing efforts, customers who share success stories with before-and-after photos and customers who share stories of struggle with before photos will all receive coupons for free 20-ounce Lean1 smoothies.

The campaign is also taking on a “pay it forward” theme. A select number of success-story customers will receive a $100 gift card to Smoothie King, while a select number of struggle-story customers will receive tools to help them on their journey, which could include a gym membership, a month of personal training, or workout shoes.

Williams says Smoothie King makes “a good partner” for those trying to lead healthier lifestyles, and that the company wants to make sure it helps these customers stay on target in January and beyond.

“January and February is when a whole lot of folks decide they’re going to make that commitment,” Williams says. “What we’re trying to do is not only get out in front of them when they’re making that decision … but we want to help them stick to it after February and March.”

About Smoothie King Franchises Inc.

Smoothie King is a privately held; New Orleans-area-based Franchise Company and the premier Smoothie Bar and Nutritional Lifestyle Center in the industry. Smoothie King offers guests the original nutritional fresh-blended smoothie and healthy retail products, including sports beverages, energy bars, healthy snacks, vitamin supplements, herbs, minerals and other sports nutrition products. Smoothie King opened its first store in 1973 and started as the first franchised smoothie bar/health food store in the United States in 1989. Smoothie King currently has more than 600 units operating in 32 states, the Caymans and the Republic of Korea. In 2011, Smoothie King was ranked no. 1 by Entrepreneur magazine in the juice bar category for the 18th year and no. 70 overall on the 2011 Franchise 500 list.

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