The Pantry Inc. an independently operated convenience store chain in the southeastern U.S., is rallying behind University of Florida football fans to “Freeze The Swamp.”
The campaign introduces ICEE products to 92 Gainesville and Ocala area Kangaroo Express locations. Kangaroo Express is collaborating with The ICEE Co. to co-promote the frozen beverages in concert with the University of Florida’s football season.
The ‘Freeze The Swamp’ campaign is our way of saying ‘thank you’ to our Gainesville customers and University of Florida fans,” said John Fisher, senior vice president of marketing, The Pantry. “Gainesville has historically been The Pantry’s highest performing frozen market across our 11-state footprint making it an ideal location to work with ICEE to launch this program. “
The promotion kicked off on Wednesday, Sept. 1, with an employee rally at one of the flagship Kangaroo Express stores near campus, with a rally featuring an appearance by Albert the gator and the ICEE bear.
The “Freeze the Swamp” promotion will begin with the University of Florida’s season opener against Miami University of Ohio on Sept. 4. Gator fans can cool off at Kangaroo Express’ on-site Fan Fest booth while tailgating. The booth opens three hours before kickoff and features an ice bar with free ICEE samples of the new Gator Blue and Gator Orange ICEE flavors. During Gator home games, the stadium’s announcer and LED screens will encourage fans to stand up, cheer and “Freeze the Swamp” each time the opposing team attempts a field goal.
The two special Gator flavors will be available at each of the Gainesville-Ocala Kangaroo Express locations. Any size ICEE is only 99 cents, including the 32-ounce “Freeze The Swamp” souvenir cup that features the University of Florida’s football schedule.
“Collaborating with Kangaroo Express is a great opportunity to expand our reach in the Gainesville area to both new customers trying our products for the first time and loyal customers looking for a more convenient location to purchase an ICEE,” said Dan Fachner, president, The ICEE Co. “We look forward to helping Gator fans ‘Freeze The Swamp’ and engaging with the local community.”
In addition to installing ICEE machines and new water filtration systems, ICEE will provide store-level training and marketing support to help promote the frozen category in each of the 92 Kangaroo Express locations. The new machines will be serviced by The ICEE Co.’s Orlando office to ensure that any service issues are resolved in a timely manner.
