When the Zeppos-Cousins team learned that soulful singer Danny Gokey would be making an “official“ visit home to Milwaukee just two days after being named one of American Idol’s Final Three, they quickly went to work on a series of activities to congratulate Danny – a former Cousins Subs sandwich maker – and make Cousins a visible part of the celebration.
Giant card: The team created a 7-foot good luck card, placed it in one of Cousins Subs’ busiest downtown stores and staged a signing event featuring Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Cousins President Christine Specht.
Go! Go! Gokey! sub: Cousins renamed its most popular turkey sub the “Go! Go! Gokey!“ for Danny’s visit home. The morning before Gokey’s visit, the team delivered party platters of the subs to popular morning and afternoon radio shows, earning numerous on-air mentions and interviews. Additionally, the Zeppos-Cousins team worked with Milwaukee’s FOX 6 on a feature story highlighting all that goes into making the special sub.
Rally signs: Cousins printed 2,000 “Go! Go! Gokey!“ rally signs and handed them out to customers and fans, who took them to Danny’s mini-concert at Summerfest and other appearances throughout the city. The signs were visible in almost every crowd that gathered to celebrate Danny’s success during his visit, as well as in footage of the Milwaukee visit that aired on American Idol the following week.
Radio partnership: After seeing Cousins’ “Go! Go! Gokey!“ signs, local radio station WMYX proposed a joint promotion. In exchange for Cousins putting WMYX stickers on the signs, the station conducted a long morning show interview, did an afternoon remote from the downtown Cousins Subs and giant card and brought in “Go! Go! Gokey!“ signs and subs when Danny visited the station as part of his Milwaukee tour.
Thank you celebration: While Danny didn’t make it to the American Idol finals, he had a big, positive impact on Milwaukee. Cousins Subs helped to say “thanks“ during Danny’s post-Idol celebration at the Riverside Theater in Downtown Milwaukee. Cousins handed out a new batch of rally signs to the hundreds who attended the event, and went on stage to personally present Danny with the giant card – by then, signed by thousands of fans – and a 4-foot “Go! Go! Gokey!“ sub. Cousins also presented Danny with a contribution for the Sophia’s Heart Foundation in honor of his late wife.
The Cousins-Zeppos’ team creativity, resourcefulness and ability to act quickly allowed Cousins Subs to be a highly visible part of an American Idol frenzy that gripped the Milwaukee area during the final weeks of American Idol's eighth season. Cousins’ “Go! Go! Gokey!“ efforts earned local, state and even national media coverage, as well as numerous mentions on blogs and other social media outlets. They also helped reinforce to hometown fans something Cousins already knew – not only does Cousins turn out great subs, it turns out great talent, too.
