McDonald’s - Spicy Chicken
out of home / Guerrilla Marketing
Project: McDonald’s needed to introduce their new product – the Spicy Chicken Sandwich – in a market where Wendy’s similar offering was very well established. They needed to make a bold splash in order to register this new product in the minds of consumers.
Challenge: Our goal was to significantly exceed projected sales of the Spicy Chicken Sandwich during its four-week launch period and help overall store sales in the process.
Solution: We created an oversized billboard in an extremely high traffic area that pictured a photo of the new sandwich and the headline, “New Spicy Chicken.” On the sixth day after installation, six firefighters arrived by hook-and-ladder truck in the afternoon and began using their high-powered hoses to “extinguish” this spicy menu item… an action they repeated over the course of several hours. This was witnessed by over 40,000 commuters, caused several standstills and spread across social media.
Results: Sales of Spicy Chicken Sandwiches in the Seattle market exceeded market unit goals by 96% during the launch period. In addition, overall product sales rose by 7% – exceeding expectations by 75%.
My Role: Creative concepting. Art direction and design.
The event ran during peak traffic hours, before and after local sporting events to maximize impressions and create social media buzz. It was witnessed by over 40,000 commuters and caused several standstills.
This supporting outdoor campaign ran for four weeks covering the market.
