Special of the Month is Not Special

Text of an email that I sent to Dairy Queen:

I went to the DQ near my office the other day in search of a Blizzard. I have enjoyed many of the special Blizzards of the Month, especially the Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookie Blizzard, and I was looking forward to discovering this month’s tasty surprise. Imagine my disappointment when I found that August’s Blizzard was Oreo.

Now, I like Oreos, and there is nothing wrong with an Oreo Blizzard. It’s just rather ordinary. It would be a bit like Bud Lite being the beer of the week at the local watering hole, disregarding hundreds of micro brews, or even other fine Anheuser-Busch products. A Blizzard of the Month should be exciting, even daring. I surmised that Dairy Queen had run out of ideas for the Blizzard of the Month. So, I came up with a list of Blizzards that should keep things interesting for the next few years:

Chocolate Covered Cherry in vanilla ice cream
Lucky Charms
Gummi Bears
Cinnamon Bears
Red Hots
Gum Balls
Chiclets
Chunky Peanut Butter
Ginger Snaps
Molasses Cookies
Granola
Circus Animal Cookies
Cheez-Its
Rice Krispie Treats
Snack Mix (Chex Mix or Gardetto’s)
Communion Wafers
Bacos in mint ice cream
Onion
Bacon Cheeseburger
Jalapeño
Old phone books
Motor oil
Afro Sheen
Shoelaces
Legos
Pocket lint
Horseradish

And the response:

Dear Mr. Andy,

Thank you for taking the time to write to International Dairy Queen, Inc. (IDQ). We are honored that you would like to share your idea for a promotion, product or service with us.

At this time IDQ does not accept any unsolicited ideas from sources outside the company and its suppliers and agencies. We recognize that there are wonderful ideas generated every day and that they can come from a variety of sources. Unfortunately because of the volume of correspondence IDQ receives every day and the challenges surrounding evaluating each idea to determine whether it is a new idea versus an idea that is already being developed or tested, or one that has already been
considered, IDQ must maintain its policy of not accepting unsolicited ideas.

We are very sorry to decline your offered idea and truly appreciate your interest in Dairy Queen!

Best Regards,

Consumer Relations
International Dairy Queen, Inc.
www.dairyqueen.com


Paul B
Dairy Queen Customer Feedback Program
INTERNATIONAL DAIRY QUEEN, INC.

It doesn't bother me in the slightest that Dairy Queen can't accept suggestions, or that they sent me a form letter. I have little doubt that the Blizzard of the Month is determined through marketing agreements with companies like Nabisco and The Girl Scouts of America.

Paul B misses the point, though, that taking an item from the menu and calling it special doesn't make it special.