The bigXP 

Experiential Marketing Inspiration & Insights

TL;DR

• What’s happening? A chicken finger stand called Scottie’s Chicken Shack at the PGA Tour’s FedEx tournament, themed after Scheffler’s Happy Gilmore 2 cameo.

• Why it’s cool? Movie reference meets snack break, injecting humor, fan connection, and photo ops right into golf’s quietest moments.

• Takeaway? Lean into the narrative. Even a simple food stand becomes legendary when you make it part of the story.

Feature Story

Breaking Down Scottie’s Chicken Shack

At this year’s FedEx St. Jude Championship, golf fans got more than birdies and bogeys —they got Scottie’s Chicken Shack, a cheeky pop-up from Scottie Scheffler, Netflix, and Happy Gilmore 2. The activation served up crispy chicken fingers, Sandler-style vibes, and a photo ready jail cell straight from Scheffler’s movie cameo. Equal parts comfort food and comedy, it flipped the buttoned-up golf scene on its head and turned a tournament stop into a cultural moment fans couldn’t stop talking about.

The Shack
Inside of a big blue tent donned with signage screaming Scottie’s Chicken Shack. The kind of thing you can’t walk past without pulling your phone out.

The Menu
Chicken fingers, but with attitude. Memphis Honey Gold, Zesty Lemon Pepper Wet, Classic Crispy. Straightforward, craveable, and meme-worthy in their own right.

The Photo Op
A “Do Your Time” jail cell straight from Scottie’s Happy Gilmore 2 cameo. Fans lined up to play prisoner and grab a pic. Shareability baked right in.

The Tie-In
Created with intention, this whole thing riffed on Scottie’s cameo in the film, where he gets fake-arrested, which in itself is a play on his 2024 arrest pulling into a PGA Tour championship. Instead of brushing it off, they leaned all the way in. That self-aware humor is what made people love it.

The Placement
Right at the finishing hole. Perfect fan flow, high energy, max eyeballs.

Why It Works IRL

• It flipped golf’s buttoned-up vibe with chicken and comedy. Scheffler’s movie moment goes from screen to snack — making the activation feel part of the story, not just a creatively designed concession stand.

• It gave fans something different. Golf events are often walk-and-whisper. This shakes that vibe up with humor and spontaneous fun.

• It created content gold. Fans are journaling their day via social posts and lining up for chicken and a Kodak moment.

  

  Scottie’s Chicken Shack Prop Photo Experience

A BIG Idea

Lean Into Self-Aware Storytelling

The brilliance of this pop-up was that Scottie Scheffler, one of golf’s most buttoned-up stars, leaned into his viral arrest and his cameo in Happy Gilmore 2. That self-awareness made the activation relatable, culturally relevant, and impossible not to share.

• Own your quirks. Instead of hiding awkward headlines, turn them into punchlines. (like an airline poking fun at middle seat misery with a luxury “middle seat lounge.”)

• Fuse pop culture with product. Netflix used Happy Gilmore nostalgia, food culture, and live sports to create something that was bigger than golf.

• Build photo traps, not photo ops. The activation was built to be shared on Instagram and TikTok.

✅ The takeaway: When brands stop pretending to be perfect and instead play into cultural jokes, they create activations that feel human, funny, and viral.

Until next time,

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