Southeast fried-chicken QSR Bojangles has made a strong play for college sports fans as its sponsorship portfolio grows along with its franchise expansion roadmap. Bojangles has been an ACC Corporate Champion since '15 and sponsors six schools in the conference. Data from Zoomph suggests that Bojangles’ sponsorship strategy is proving effective as they over-index among ACC fans on social media. Followers of the ACC are 58 times more likely to follow Bojangles on social media than the average sports fan. A new deal with Florida State this season coincides with franchise expansion into the Orlando market, much the same way deals with Georgia and Tennessee coincided with those new franchise openings. Those sponsorships have been accompanied by NIL deals with more than 70 athletes in a variety of men’s and women’s sports across its footprint, including high-profile endorsements with North Carolina QB Sam Howell and Clemson QB D.J. Uiagalelei. Bojangles plans to become a national brand, with expansion either started or planned for markets in Dallas, Houston, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, according to a report by QSR Magazine. So far, Bojangles’ college deals have extended only as far west as the Univ. of Memphis and as far north as James Madison Univ. in Virginia, according to SBJ Atlas’ sponsorship database. Look for that to change as the fast-growing brand implements a plan to grow at a pace of 100 locations per year.
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