What is a “cloche?” A new Dairy Queen Ad has sent many curious viewers to an unexpected place, the dictionary. The ad, which revealed the new DQ A-1 Bacon Cheeseburger, spot is the third in a new campaign that features the DQ Crew.
Inspired by television shows like Parks and Rec and The Office, the campaign spans across broadcast and social, and is brought to life in a comedic, mockumentary style.
Barkley partnered with TV veteran Fred Goss to capture everything from a training exercise to the unveiling of the trending cloche.
Matt Pruett, Creative Director at Barkley told DIVERGE:
“We set out with two simple goals – recognize the makers of DQ’s famous treats and food, and to do something really funny.
Having the spots led by the crew, and their over-enthusiastic, assistant manager, Alan, enable us to describe the food and present it in ways that civilians would never consider. For Alan, a true brand zealot, finding the ultimate way to reveal the A-1 Bacon Cheeseburger – DQ’s most premium sandwich – couldn’t be taken lightly.
It was during this time that we discovered the word “cloche” and its many definitions. After writing and ultimately rejecting spots about fashionable women’s hats and and glass covers used to protect plants from frost, we settled on another, more premium definition – a metal cover placed over food when it’s being served. Then we decided to up the ante by hiding our cloche under another cloche. In comedy, this is known as a classic double cloche gag.”
In a tweet last week, Merriam Webster revealed that searches for the word “cloche” have spiked in recent days. In fact, “Cloche” was the top trending word on the site for the early part of the week. Not so coincidentally, DQ began running the A-1 spot during the same period, which uses the word “cloche” and an actual cloche to reveal another cloche, which then reveals the new A1 Bacon Cheeseburger $5 Buck Lunch.
Additionally last week, the “Cloche” spot drove the highest number of $5 Buck lunches sold in the history of the brand.
