Dive Brief: 

• Applebee’s has partnered with Team Whistle on an episode of the sports media and entertainment company’s “Undercover Athlete” YouTube series, Marketing Dive can exclusively share. The effort promotes the restaurant chain’s new Whole Lotta Bacon Burger.
• The episode, which premiered Thursday across Team Whistle’s YouTube and social channels, features San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who assumes a role as a new team member at Applebee’s while interacting with unsuspecting guests.
• Snackable social segments running on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook Reels, Snapchat and YouTube Shorts help promote the content. The effort could help Applebee’s grow loyalty with sports fans.

Dive Insight: 

Applebee’s is tapping into sports marketing through its tie-up with Team Whistle as it looks to promote a new limited-time offering, the Whole Lotta Bacon Burger. The move could help the Dine Brands-owned chain boost engagement, particularly among a sports audience, as it grapples with weak domestic same-store sales and a shrinking footprint. 

Team Whistle’s “Undercover Athlete” series features sports stars — previous guests include New York Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley — as they tackle various tasks and specific challenges in disguise to see if fans take notice. The episode with Applebee’s sees Aiyuk assume a staff role at the restaurant chain and interact with customers by taking orders and pitching them on the chain’s new burger. 

“’Undercover Athlete’ has been such a fun way for us to not only engage with our loyal guests and restaurant Team Members, but to also authentically engage sports fans with fun and engaging content,” said Applebee’s CMO Joel Yashinsky in a statement.

Short social videos running across several platforms round out the collaboration. One segment, “Whole Lotta Bacon Burger Trivia,” puts a twist on trivia, with Applebee’s new burger in front of Aiyuk as he answers a variety of questions. A “Behind the Scenes” segment invites consumers to view the outtakes of the undercover episode and see candid clips of Aiyuk practicing the Applebee’s menu, perfecting his pitch for the new burger and taking part in off-the-cuff moments. 

“Undercover Athlete” builds on Applebee’s creative swings that seek to surprise and entertain consumers. The brand in 2022 partnered with makeup and skincare brand Winky Lux to launch Saucy Gloss, a collection of wing sauce-inspired lip glosses, around National Wing Day and National Lipstick Day. Previously, it unveiled a “Here’s to The Regulars” campaign, which highlighted real-life regular customers for the first time. 

Team Whistle, a DAZN Group company, frequently partners with brands to support its content. In March, the company worked with health and wellness brand GNC for an episode of its “No Days Off” YouTube series around March Madness. The company in January teamed with dishwasher detergent brand Finish for two culinary face-off episodes of a program called “Home Team” ahead of Super Bowl LVIII. It has also collaborated with DirecTV Stream and State Farm, the latter of whom used the opportunity to promote its Personal Price Plan.