Luquire Takes ‘Million-Dollar’ Honors at PRSA Anvil Awards

Luquire took home top honors at the 2023 Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA) Anvil Awards, the industry’s most distinguished benchmark of high performance in public relations. The agency was awarded a Bronze Anvil for its Million Dollar Gas Giveaway campaign, a community relations-focused marketing effort developed to help ease pain at the pump for hardworking Bojangles customers. The Bronze Anvils recognize outstanding public relations tactics that contribute to the success of overall programs or campaigns.  

In June 2022 the price of oil hit record highs, with a nearly 60% year-over-year increase from the same time in 2021, the largest increase since the 1980s. Families were ultimately faced with choosing between putting a good meal on the table and filling up their tanks. Understanding that these costs were disproportionately affecting Bojangles’ target demographic and driven by the desire to meet customers where they were, Luquire’s public relations team and Bojangles set out to develop a creative way to help consumers save money at the pump while simultaneously highlighting high-quality, economical meals available at Bojangles. 

And the Million Dollar Gas Giveaway was born.  

Bojangles purchased $1 million in gas station gift cards to give away with the purchase of each 12- or 20-piece Big Bo Box Family Meal. Luquire’s public relations charge was to flip the news cycle on its head, spreading good news related to gas prices instead of bad. In addition to our media relations efforts, Luquire worked with the Bojangles team and franchisees to procure and distribute gift cards, craft copy for the Bojangles e-club newsletters, advise on traditional and OTT advertising and ensure messaging alignment across organic and paid social platforms.  

In just a seven-day span, the Luquire team helped secure a total of 320 placements, reaching an estimated 250 million people. Of those, 65 were national publications, including CNBC, Nasdaq.com, Newsweek, Fox Business and USA Today. And the brand realized a 25% increase in family meal sales compared with a typical 25-day period.   

But perhaps most importantly, 100,000 customers felt a moment of relief at the pump for the first time in a while as the beloved chicken and biscuits brand seized the opportunity to make a difference.