RaceTrac runs up social buzz with 'The Freeze' mascot

Brief:

Gas station chain RaceTrac is getting significant mileage from "The Freeze," a mascot the company started sponsoring at Atlanta Braves games two years ago, according to an announcement shared with Mobile Marketer.
RaceTrac is expanding its Freeze promotion this year with a dedicated @BeatTheFreeze account on Twitter and videos that will appear on RaceTrac and Braves marketing channels. Additional posts will include Freeze reactions, Twitter tags and other organic content that will be released throughout the Major League Baseball season, including a "Freeze Tag virtual opportunity" for fans to challenge the mascot.
The "RaceTrac's Beat The Freeze" promotion challenges a fan to a race against grounds crew staffer Nigel Talton, a former college track runner who wears a blue jumpsuit emblazoned with the RaceTrac logo. The gas station chain and ad agency R/GA Austin worked together on the new creative to mark this year's return of the mascot.

Insight:

RaceTrac's Freeze mascot began as a way to entertain Atlanta Braves fans between innings while promoting the brand, but went viral as baseball goers shared videos of the character on social media. The Freeze ran 37 times last season, including two post-season games in Atlanta. While the total attendance of those games was 1.37 million, The Freeze is getting much wider reach on social media.

Videos of The Freeze in action, including one that showed a fan stumbling while celebrating a race victory too early, helped to boost exposure to the mascot and RaceTrac brand. Fans have responded by creating their own Freeze-inspired content that boosts the notoriety of the character and gives RaceTrac broader exposure on social media through user-generated content. The Freeze mascot has even inspired several spin-offs, such as "Hot Sauce" for the Atlanta Hawks and the "Anti-Freeze," a minor league mascot for the Harrisburg Senators, according to materials shared with Mobile Marketer.

RaceTrac's sponsorship of The Freeze mostly reaches the Atlanta market, but the viral distribution of the character may help the chain in its expansion plans to other parts of the country. RaceTrac this week entered its first new market in more than 15 years with the groundbreaking of a location in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, per Chainstore Age. RaceTrac is planning to open as many as 50 stores by 2023 throughout the state.