Media: digital marketing
Advertised Brand: Checkers & Rally’s
Alternative Title: Kobayashi Takes on Checkers & Rally's $1 Fries
Advertising Agency: Fitzgerald & Co., Atlanta, GA, USA
Chief Creative Officer: Noel Cottrell
Executive Creative Director: Mitch Bennett
Executive Creative Director: Wes Whitener
Associate Creative Director: Jean Tanis
Creative Director: Dave Gordon
Copywriter: Max Schein
Art Director: Joe Abruzzo
Director, Editor: Tom Rittenhouse
Head of Integrated Production: Christine Sigety
Producer: David Berngartt
Chief Media Officer: Liz Daney
Group Media Director: Anna Sherrill
Assistant Media Director, Digital: Jessica Fergen
Senior Connections Strategist, Social: Tyler Baugh
Connections Strategist, Social: Lauren Gourley
Managing Director: Evan Levy
Group Account Director: Jeff Quick
Management Supervisor: Madison Gargan
Assistant Account Executive: Lauren Edwards
Project Manager: Allison Ponce
Published: May 2017
Synopsis:
To launch its $1 Fries limited-time offer, Checkers & Rally’s and ad agency Fitzgerald & Co. (Fitzco) have tapped a world champion eater to star in a digital marketing campaign that depicts a size larger than large: Kobayashi Size. The campaign broke in mid-May and runs through June 18.
The online video stars competitive eater Takeru Kobayashi, who crushes his way through as many large $1 containers of fries as a human possibly can in one minute. Apparently, that number is five—the action is captured on slightly sped up film—and viewers are advised to leave this fast-paced fries gorging to the pros.
As the spot ends, the five containers of fries merge into a behemoth pack, which is exactly what a few lucky customers who order fries during the $1 promotion will receive. Winners will be randomly selected.
The ad content expands upon Fitzco’s “Fast Foodies Know the Deal” campaign for Checkers. As one of the world’s most notable Fast Foodies, Kobayashi was the perfect face for the promotion—one that could demonstrate his love of Checkers $1 Fries in ways that other people can’t. Kobayashi has the ability to “open his throat up like a snake” and holds several Guinness World Records for his eating abilities. He won the Nathan’s Coney Island hot dog eating contest six years in a row.
Checkers will kick off the campaign with an intro video that highlights who Kobayashi is and shows his unmatched ability to make $1 fries disappear in seconds. It will promote the video with :30 YouTube pre-roll and paid social. “Kobayashi $1 Fries” will run on Checkers’ website, as well as on Facebook and YouTube.
Influencers Andy Milonakis, Yung Poppy and I_Got_Barzz will also post content showing themselves getting creative with Checkers $1 fries to demonstrate their love and spread the word. Kobayashi and the other influencers will participate in interviews with media outlets to promote the $1 fries campaign.
Additionally, 30- and 15-second ads promoting the $1 fries offer will run in Checkers’ 2017 TV campaign on spot TV and local cable while the offer lasts.
“At just $1, Checkers fries no longer have to be a burger’s side piece,” said Mitch Bennett, Executive Creative Director at Fitzco. “All of our work targets Fast Foodies—the young connoisseurs of QSR who are hungry for big, bold taste and know how to make every dollar work. However, this campaign goes broader. We want to remind people how much they crave their favorite fries from Checkers.”
Checkers & Rally’s debuted the $1 Fries promotion in 2016 to great success, so the chain repeated the offer this summer. Last year, 49% of participating restaurants had their best week of the year during $1 Fries, 18% had their highest traffic of the last three years and the chain’s overall traffic grew by more than 15% during the period. Store receipts showed that while customers may have come for the fries, they stayed to buy even more.