Arby’s has added new T-shirts to its Beef Week promotion, which is June 10-16, and they’re available on a professional wrestling web site.
The quick-service chain, a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Inspire Brands, has partnered with World Wrestling Entertainment tag team duo Austin Theory and Grayson Walker to help promote the week, during which loyalty program members can order five Classic Roast Beef sandwiches for a total of $5 — an offer the chain introduced more than three decades ago. The shirts are available at shop.wwe.com for $32.99.
As part of the promotion, the WWE tag team champions posted videos on Instagram for their 169,000 followers.
In one video, Theory shoes off his beefy biceps and the team explains the deal and how to become an Arby’s Rewards member.
In another one, a shirtless Theory and Waller are magically bedecked in the co-branded T-shirts and Theory declares with typical bravado, “This is one shirt I’m okay with covering the greatest physique in all of WWE.”
The promotion dovetails well with Arby’s “We have the Meats” branding and also is part of a broad trend in restaurant marketing of using celebrities’ star power to amplify their messaging.
Arby’s is a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Inspire Brands, and its sister brand Dunkin’ has long worked with celebrities to boost its image as a fun brand and to raise overall awareness of its products, most recently working with rapper Jelly Roll for National Doughnut Day last week.
Dunkin’ also aired an ad during the Super Bowl featuring the DunKings, a fictional band whose members include actors Ben Affleck and Matt Damon and professional football legend Tom Brady as they try to impress Affleck’s wife, Jennifer Lopez.
Affleck has appeared in numerous adds for Dunkin’ who also periodically enlist lifestyle-oriented celebrity Martha Stewart both to promote the brand generally and to sell merch, including Martini shakers.
Another Inspire Brands concept, Sonic Drive-In, worked with country singer Reba McEntire to promote the restaurant as a great date-night venue for Valentine’s Day.
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