How QBG Unified Its Frontline and Delivered Double-Digit Sales Comps With Spidey D and goHappy

Quality Brand Group (QBG) is one of Inspire Brands’ largest and fast-growing franchise organizations. However, acquisitions, market expansion, and a young frontline workforce created what leaders called “a messy middle” in communication and alignment.

Before goHappy, QBG had:

And because most team members were young, tech-savvy, and mobile-first, the old “email cascade” approach wasn’t just ineffective…it was invisible.

QBG needed a way to speak directly to its frontline, at scale, in a manner and language they’d actually respond to.

goHappy allowed QBG to immediately:

QBG quickly made goHappy a central part of their internal communications strategy, and integrated it into newsletters, employee updates, operational huddles, and marketing initiatives.

Within months, the company saw big signals of momentum:

But the biggest leap forward came when QBG decided to use goHappy in a completely new way.

When the national Dunkin’ brand launched its “Spidey D” Halloween takeover (a donut with a full Gen Z personality) it became the biggest mobile order and loyalty enrollment day of the year for Dunkin’.

QBG Senior Marketing Manager Ashleigh Griffith saw an opportunity:

QBG used goHappy to bring Spidey D to life inside the organization.

Across an eight-day window (Oct. 23–30), QBG deployed a staged, immersive storytelling sequence:

The messages matched Spidey D’s playful, chaotic energy — but always tied back to operational behavior:

Why it worked

Spidey D wasn’t a gimmick. It was strategy:

It personified the brand in a way young team members instantly recognized, made leadership feel more human, more connected. gave permission to have fun, which unlocked engagement, and used storytelling to reinforce operational excellence.

QBG blended goHappy’s messaging features with memes, timing, exclusivity, and keyword triggers, creating a multi-day experience that felt like the team was part of a coordinated cultural moment: not just a sales push.

Impact Snapshot: Double-Digit Comps and an Fully Energized Frontline

Compared to the same week in the previous year, QBG saw:

Markets that fully adopted the campaign, like Colorado, saw a positive lift in comps (1.1%), with some stores achieving over 21% weekly comps.

Frontline Reaction

Post-event goHappy surveys and store visits showed team members loved:

Beyond Spidey D: LTO Rollout

Prior to Spidey D, QBG had already tested this fun and operational clarity messaging model to test readiness for a large-scale rollout that would affect roughly 300 team members.

The project was designed to improve the operational experience inside stores: one that required employees to quickly understand the new workflow, embrace new expectations, and execute consistently from day one. For a test this delicate, QBG needed a clear signal:  Do our teams understand what’s changing? Do they feel confident doing it? Are they ready?

Instead of relying on email cascades or word-of-mouth, QBG used goHappy messaging and keyword engagement to check in directly with the employees. 

Team members were instructed to text a simple keyword to confirm readiness and comprehension. The results were immediate and powerful:

For QBG, this was the breakthrough moment. The keyword responses didn’t just show who opened the message: they showed who understood the test, who felt prepared, and where leaders might need to follow up. 

More importantly, the rollout confirmed something bigger:

The Bottom Line

QBG didn’t just use goHappy to send messages — they used it to create moments.

The Spidey D activation proved what happens when a brand meets the frontline where they are: connection deepens, pride grows, and performance follows.

QBG will continue using goHappy to amplify LTOs and brand moments: including Valentine’s Day, National Donut Day, and even cultural holidays like Random Acts of Kindness Day.

QBG turned a seasonal LTO into a cultural engine — and delivered double-digit sales comps, a more energized workforce, and a more unified organization along the way.