Since being reestablished as the “CEO” of Jack in the Box a couple of years ago, besuited mascot Jack Box has rapped on TikTok, starred in ads with Deadpool and made cameos in the fast food brand’s first horror short film. Agency partner TBWAChiatDay Los Angeles continues to look for tactics to consistently differentiate the norm-breaking QSR from the pack with help from the clown-headed character.
“Jack in the Box is the place where you’ll be able to get tacos, egg rolls and fries all in one go — this is our superpower,” said Danela Jimenez, connections director at TBWAChiatDay Los Angeles.
In February, Jack in the Box unveiled its latest creative platform, “So Munch More,” inspired by the distinctive menu approach and its positioning as the home for late-night munchies. The effort launched with TV commercials in which individuals unconsciously say “munch” as a substitute of “much,” causing Jack Box to look with the exact item they’re craving. A 30-second ad includes a man who fumbles asking for an engagement blessing from his girlfriend’s father while a 15-second spot sees a coach in the hot seat after a nasty game and worse press conference.
“Jack in the Box has all the time been about breaking the rules and giving our fans exactly what they crave, each time they crave it,” said Ryan Ostrom, the brand’s chief customer and digital officer, in an announcement. “Customers today expect more from their food experiences; they need alternative, flexibility, and a bit of little bit of fun.”
To extend that fun beyond the quirky TV spots, the multichannel campaign includes several influencer and media partnerships that seek to integrate Jack in the Box more seamlessly into content shared across an increasingly fragmented media landscape.
“We know that customers still have a presence inside ad-supported platforms, but are likely to tune out,” Jimenez said. “We’re really attempting to construct that connection and have that conversation with the consumer. It’s more of an experience versus the hard sell of an ad.”
Munch slips
To that end, the brand recently popped up during an episode of First We Feast’s YouTube show “Hot Ones Versus” that promoted the chain’s hot wings and featured buzzy rapper Doechii. Fresh off winning the award for Best Rap Album at the Grammys, Doechii has quickly develop into an adland favorite, starring in campaigns from Nike, Sprite and Major League Soccer — good company for Jack in the Box, in addition to Jack Box, who appeared in the “Hot Ones Versus” studio at the mention of “munch.”
“It’s bringing that construct from the TV commercials into real lives of consumers, where it might probably surprise and delight. They weren’t expecting to see Jack pop up in the middle of ‘Hot Ones’… They went crazy in the comments for it,” Jimenez said.
Other partnerships include a tie-up with bilingual digital media outlet Mitú and a host-read ad on “Call Her Daddy,” the most listened to podcast by women on Spotify. Like Doechii, “Call Her Daddy” host Alex Cooper has quickly develop into a go-to partner for brands, from Pepsi to the National Women’s Soccer League, which might be in search of to activate around popular culture.
“We know [‘Call Her Daddy’] is one among the top-consumed podcasts, and it really resonates with our audience. We are going after young [Gen] Z but in addition don’t need to exclude everybody else from a QSR standpoint,” Jimenez explained. “The partnership encompassed having a whole ownership of QSR inside her podcast during the time-frame of our campaign.”
“So Munch More” is set to proceed this summer, with an announcement planned around a late-night celebrity partnership that follows past work with stars like Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube. While Jimenez remained tight-lipped about the news, the executive promised it would be in line with the culture-hacking approach that Jack in the Box has embraced.
“It is an enormous celebrity name,” Jimenez said. “It is in our DNA to proceed to partner with relevant culture, to talk to our audience, to have our brand stand out.”
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