Buc-ee’s, the gas station with character, is no longer just a favorite of truckers and parents looking for a clean bathroom on a long road trip.
The chain, known for its plentiful gas pumps and signature beaver treats, has gained new fans among Gen Z drivers.
The key to its success lies in a unique marketing campaign aimed at the TikTok generation, and it is proving to be a huge success.
Buc-ee’s highway signs in states like Texas and Tennessee feature slogans like, “In My Age of Buc-ee’s,” “Beaver Tune Check,” and “Slay: 82 Miles” against the chain’s bold red and yellow background.
The phrases use popular language from TikTok and other social media platforms that have in turn given the brand a following on those platforms. See below for a table translating some of the Generation Z terms.
Buc-ee’s has launched an ingenious marketing campaign aimed at the TikTok generation
Buc-ee’s has used slogans on billboards to attract Generation Z
Other signs, accompanied by the iconic beaver mascot, read: “Catch kolaches, not feelings,” “Glow up, next outing,” “Meat with us,” “Jerky? Guys dinner,” “Beaver nuggets? Girls dinner,” and “Main character energy.”
One TikTok user, Becca Hay, said she and her friends had become “hyper-obsessed” with Buc-ee’s marketing campaign.
In a recent video, which received more than 120,000 likes, celebrating Buc-ee’s posters, Hay asked, “Did they just mass-hire a bunch of Gen Z legends because what’s going on?”
Other users also praised the gas station signs.
“No, literally, the Buc-ee’s signs have caught my attention MORE with these updates,” one wrote in the comments.
“Yeah, the marketing team is a bunch of millennials and Gen Zers who spend their days laughing in a room. And I’m scared of missing out,” wrote another.
Another user made a TikTok praising the signs with the caption: ‘As if I don’t love Buc-ee’s enough already!
“If you don’t live near one, I’m sorry! Whoever on the marketing team came up with these slogans for the billboards is a genius.”
Tapping into the Gen Z market can bring lucrative benefits for businesses, especially if they become loyal, long-term customers.
The fact that the demographic has responded so enthusiastically to Buc-ee’s marketing has also allowed the brand to benefit from free social media awareness with such videos.
Buc-ee’s has even spawned a slew of fan accounts on TikTok, who post about their love for the chain, its food, cleanliness, and merchandise.
Among them is ‘Buc-ee’s Biggest Fans’ who has more than 120,000 followers.
The first Buc-ee’s gas station opened in Texas in 1982, and the company now has 62 locations in 14 states, all open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Most Buc-ee’s are in Texas, with others in Colorado, Missouri, Kentucky, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and Alabama.
These include the world’s largest convenience store (Luling, Texas, at 75,593 square feet) and the world’s longest car wash (255 feet of conveyor belt in Katy, Texas).
Buc-ee’s has 62 locations in 14 states and has expansion plans underway
Buc-ee’s sells merchandise featuring its famous beaver mascot
Buc-ee’s has the world’s longest car wash, 255 feet, at its Katy, Texas store
Fans praise its food offerings, as well as its plentiful gas pumps and clean bathrooms.
The gas station chain even has its own branded snacks, such as Beaver Nuggets.
The chain claims to have the “cleanest bathrooms in America,” and anecdotally, customers tend to agree.
It remains a private company and has no plans to go public, according to its website.
The company has a popular community contribution scheme for charities or local organisations.
‘Buc-ee’s supports our community by giving back where the need is critical and the impact is long-term for our customers and employees,’ it says on its website.
