America is obsessed with fall. It’s all about the leaves, the cozy sweaters, and of course, the treats.

But nowhere does that passion for fall burn brighter than with fall-scented candles. Scented candles are a $3 billion category, with 70% of sales between October and December.

And in fall 2019, DQ, known for its world famous soft serve ice cream treat, the iconic Blizzard wanted to launch their new Fall Blizzard Menu featuring seasonally relevant flavors like Pumpkin Pie to compete with the Starbucks and McDonalds giants, also playing in the seasonal flavor game.

So how could the DQ Fall Blizzard Treat Menu break through the crowd and the competition?

DQ took inspiration from fall’s hottest trend - scented candles. Tapping into millions of the seasonally obsessed with a line of Fall Blizzard treats for your nose. Introducing the first-ever Fall Blizzard Treat Candle Collection: 5 flavor-inspired scents, including Harvest Berry, Heath Caramel Brownie, Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough, Snickers and of course, Pumpkin Pie. Each candle served as a 60 hour reminder of DQ’s fall flavors made with world famous soft serve.

The Fall Blizzard Treat Candle Collection was designed with the fall obsessed in mind and to gain interest in a new kind of fall treat that can compete with the Pumpkin Spice Lattes of the world. Each candle served as a 60 hour reminder of DQ’s fall flavors made with world famous soft serve and got fans excited to head to DQ to try the Fall Blizzard Menu.

The Fall Blizzard Candle Collection took visual inspiration from the season, but with a DQ twist. The candle packaging was designed to look like an actual Blizzard Treat, featuring a branded cobalt blue candle jar, imitating the iconic Blizzard cup. The jars were topped with lids featuring photo real images of the tops of the Blizzard flavors.

And the candle scents themselves were directly inspired by those flavors. This was achieved through countless wafts, whiffs and sniffs of different scent formulas, to create the unique experience of not eating a Blizzard but smelling one.

The Fall Blizzard Candle collection was launched in early fall with 200 sets of candles, and promoted across DQ social channels. Fall Blizzard Candle social posts drove fans to a microsite where they claimed their set, which was then sent in a Fall Blizzard branded box directly to their noses.

The DQ Fall Blizzard Treat Candle Collection successfully established DQ as a seasonal treat player, during a season where DQ often falls out of season. As a frozen treat brand, summer is when DQ is most top of mind. The Fall Blizzard Treat Candle Collection brought DQ back into the conversation and the Fall Blizzard menu into consideration. Proving that Pumpkin Spice Lattes aren’t the only way to enjoy fall. Each collection filled homes with fall Blizzard Treat smells, successfully igniting America’s fall obsession and leaving America saying, finally a Blizzard Treat for my nose. And millions saying I need a Fall Blizzard treat for my mouth.

The collection sold out within 30 minutes of the launch

- Garnered over 85 million earned impressions

- $1.44 Million + Ad Value

- 82% Share rate

- 23.26% of Blizzard Sales were from the Fall Blizzard Menu