Amplifying a brand that hits as hard as the wings

Client

Gator’s Dockside

Role

Brand Platform & Campaign Activation

Overview

Home turf for Florida’s loudest fans.

Gator’s Dockside has been a Florida sports-and-wings staple for decades. The atmosphere was loud. The food was honest. The fans were loyal. What they needed was a brand that could keep up with them.

We built one. It started with mini brand guidelines that gave every channel the same swagger, then came to life through Fan Fuel — a multi-channel platform built around the people who live for the game. From there, we introduced

Coach Gator: the mustachioed hype-man who rallies tailgates, fires up SEC Saturdays, and reminds every fan that you don’t nibble your way to victory.

Five locations. Every screen, every shift, every game day. We handle the strategy, the creative, the paid media, the social, the email, the PR, the in-store, and the annual planning that ties it all back to sales. It’s not a one-off shoot. It’s a long-running partnership where every campaign stacks on the last and every season sharpens the voice.

Services: Campaign Strategy & Development, Paid Media, Social & Email, Video Production, PR, Local Store Marketing
Type: Multi-Channel Campaign
Industry: Restaurant

Impact

Fan energy. Measured.

550K+: Press impressions from a single location's grand opening.
150+: Social posts a year keeping fans fed between games.
5: Florida locations. One unified fan voice.

Play Video

Coach Gator

Every team needs a hype-man. Theirs has a whistle and a killer ‘stache.

Coach Gator is the face of the fall campaign. He’s loud, playful, slightly-too-intense character built for college football Saturdays and tailgates that start at 9 a.m. He pep-talks from koozies, lanyards, display ads, social posts, and even an ElevenLabs-powered AI agent fans can actually call. Built to roll from SEC season into March Madness, UFC fight nights, and whatever the sports calendar throws next.

A screenshot of a digital interface shows the "Coach Gator Master Look Development" page, displaying three AI-generated images of a male football coach. The first two images are studio portraits, one waist-up and one full-body, of the coach standing against a gray backdrop, wearing a gray polo shirt, dark slacks, and a whistle. The third image shows the coach on a basketball court, holding a basketball, with players in the background under bright arena lights. Below the images, a detailed text prompt for the "full-body studio portrait" is visible, along with options to "Generate image" or "Generate video" at the bottom.

Three men at a bar excitedly watch a basketball game on TVs in the background. A middle-aged man with a mustache raises his beer in triumph, while the two younger men beside him laugh joyfully, holding their own drinks. The scene is warmly lit, capturing a moment of shared celebration and camaraderie.

A towering bacon cheeseburger, speared with a black knife, sits on a white plate with a side of golden fries. The burger features melted cheese, crisp bacon strips, fresh lettuce, and red onion, all on a toasted bun, resting on a rustic wooden table with a blurred warm wooden wall in the background. The low, warm lighting creates an inviting and mouthwatering mood.

A man with an orange-stained mustache shouts in excitement with his fist raised, holding a chicken wing, while watching a basketball game on a large screen at a lively sports bar. Two other men beside him are also laughing, their faces lit by the warm ambient lighting. A basket of chicken wings and fries sits on the polished wooden table in front of them.

A cheerful green and yellow alligator mascot stands front and center, giving two thumbs up with a wide, open-mouthed smile. Behind it, the "GATOR'S DOCKSIDE" sign in large white letters casts a crisp shadow on a gray building, while warm sunlight bathes the scene.

A man with a prominent mustache and a green alligator mascot excitedly clink beer mugs across a light gray table, both laughing with wide open mouths. They sit in a lively sports bar with wooden slatted walls, multiple large TV screens displaying basketball and other content, and other patrons in the softly lit background. A woman in the foreground also laughs and claps, adding to the joyous atmosphere.

A smiling man in a grey polo and baseball cap with hot sauce on his mustache and chin gives a thumbs-up, his hands covered in sauce from a basket of buffalo wings on the table. In the background, claw machines and TVs showing sports and news suggest a lively entertainment venue. The overall mood is cheerful and celebratory, bathed in bright, even lighting.

A dark, oval plate holds a pile of glistening, golden-brown chicken wings with visible bits of red spice and sauce. To the left is a small black cup of creamy white dipping sauce, and to the right are several bright green celery sticks. The plate rests on a warm, brown wooden surface.

A man with a mustache and a grey baseball cap smiles while taking a selfie with a bright green and yellow alligator mascot, who gives a thumbs up. They are in a well-lit, modern restaurant with multiple TVs showing sports and claw machines in the background. The phone screen reflects the joyful selfie, capturing the fun, celebratory mood.

From the team

We created a personality that didn’t exist. We all knew who he was in our minds from the early days of concept development, but once we started bringing him to life with AI, we knew he was our guy! His personality, his appearance, his snark. It was all perfect!

Andre “Dre” Picard

Head of Brand Engagement

A man with a mustache and short brown hair is captured in five different camera angles for a podcast, sitting at a wooden table with a microphone. The background features framed sports jerseys and a whiteboard with a basketball play drawn on it, all under soft, even lighting. Each "camera" shot shows a subtle shift in his head and body position, suggesting movement as he speaks.

Play Video

Fan Fuel

The original rally cry. Still pulling its weight.

Before Coach Gator, there was Fan Fuel, the campaign that gave Gator’s its voice (with the original concept coming from the brilliant mind of our late copywriter Ross). A :30 spot shot for TV, TikTok, and YouTube. Billboards along the exits that matter. Radio spots on Audacy. Digital, social, email, and in-store assets all speaking the same language. It’s the platform every campaign since has built on top of.

Play Video

A man in a black "DUNK. SNAP. WIN." t-shirt smiles broadly, looking up and to the right, illuminated by bright overhead lights. Behind him, a costumed green alligator mascot grins with wide eyes, flanked by other people in a lively sports bar setting with multiple TVs displaying various games. The overall mood is cheerful and energetic.

A white delivery van, branded for "Gator's Dockside" and featuring large, saucy chicken wings with the text "WINGS WORTH THE HYPE," drives down a street with blurred motion. The background shows a sunny outdoor shopping center with palm trees and a few people walking, creating a vibrant, active mood.

From the team

If you think Gator’s is “just a sports bar”, you’re missing the plot. We want guests to FEEL the energy of the brand, and that means showing up loud, bold, and fun across multiple customer touchpoints.

Julia Nuara

Client Experience & Success Director

Words

The smoothest, most professional, best-planned shoot the team has ever been part of. They get an A+.

Jerry Roberts

Owner of Gator’s Dockside Restaurants

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