Turning Live Sports Into a Performance Engine
- Full-Funnel Omnichannel Media Strategy, Planning & Buying
- Alli
- Data & Analytics
Transforming QSR Marketing Into Measurable Performance
Challenge
Proving Live Sports Drives Sales
CKE operates two distinct brands with regional footprints—Hardee’s in the Southeast and Midwest, and Carl’s Jr. on the West Coast—making traditional national media buys inefficient and wasteful. Every advertising dollar needed to drive measurable in-store sales impact, not just awareness.
Live sports, long a cornerstone of QSR marketing, lacked clear attribution. Most brands relied on broad-reach TV buys with limited geographic precision and no direct link to transactions. CKE needed a smarter model: one that reached the right customers in the right markets, optimized in real time, and tied ad exposure directly to revenue.
The objective was clear: turn live sports from an awareness play into a performance channel.
Strategy
Precision Targeting at National Scale
Rather than following the standard playbook of broad national placements, PMG developed a regionally optimized, insight-driven live sports strategy across Amazon’s Thursday Night Football (TNF) and College Football.
With TNF, we leveraged Amazon’s advanced audience capabilities to execute the first QSR implementation of Audience-Based Creative (ABC) copy-splitting. Within a single national broadcast, Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s served region-specific ads aligned to store footprints, eliminating wasted impressions and increasing relevance.
For College Football, we built a hyper-localized plan focused on SEC, ACC, and Big Ten matchups aligned to Hardee’s strongest markets. An exclusive SEC Network sponsorship further reinforced breakfast positioning among a high-value audience.
The result was a digitally enabled sports strategy designed for measurable growth.
Execution
Turning Game-Day Moments Into Sales Signals
On TNF, ads were dynamically served based on geography and credit card sales lift data. A viewer in Los Angeles received Carl’s Jr. messaging, while a fan in Atlanta saw Hardee’s—both within the same national broadcast. This precision ensured relevance while minimizing wasted spend.
For College Football, we structured market-specific investments around marquee matchups on ABC/ESPN and regional networks, including SECN, ACCN, and BTN. Media weight concentrated where Hardee’s stores were located, maximizing impact within its core footprint.
Throughout the campaign, we implemented a first-of-its-kind measurement framework linking household-level ad exposure to credit card transactions. Real-time signals—including foot traffic, app downloads, and purchases—powered dynamic budget allocation. Instead of optimizing for reach alone, we prioritized incremental reach and conversion lift, ensuring every impression worked harder.
Live sports became a measurable, performance-driven channel.
Impact
Redefining Live Sports as a Performance Channel
63%
Higher Net New Buyer Conversion
Our approach transformed live sports advertising from a legacy awareness tactic into a data-driven growth engine. Across an 11-week period, Amazon’s Thursday Night Football and College Football campaigns drove a sustained average transaction lift of over 2%.
CKE exceeded QSR conversion rate benchmarks by nearly 40% and increased net new buyer conversion rates by 63%. Loyalty sign-ups rose 107%, and app purchases saw double-digit gains following TNF airings.
By directly linking ad exposure to real-world purchases, we established a new benchmark for QSR media effectiveness. Live sports no longer operated as an unmeasured mass-reach investment—it became a precision tool for incremental growth, delivering verified ROI and competitive advantage.
Live sports advertising has long been a powerful awareness driver for QSR brands, but we needed it to do more—we needed it to drive real, measurable business impact. By leveraging first-party data, dynamic ad delivery, and real-time optimization, we’ve transformed traditional live sports media into a precision performance channel. This approach allows us to connect with our customers where it matters most and turn media investment into tangible sales growth.
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