SIMON SAYS – FREE BURGERS!
Making a media splash with a concept that is as simple as saying ‘Simon’
When do you ever see burgers land in a primetime TV slot? Pretty much never, right? Enter Undertow Media’s Simon Says campaign plan. Better Burger decided to beef up (pun entirely intended) their menu and add even more epic hacks. We knew it would be the perfect opp to drive grassroots engagement and pique media interest, but it needed to be fun, people-driven and inclusive to make sure those burgers really hit the (media) spot.
The story of a Kiwi bloke eating keto and shedding some sag without compromising on a mean lunch is one we knew would be topical, tongue-in-cheek and lend itself to a varied array of placements. Enter Simon, the accidental inventor of “The Simon” burger – the team’s latest secret-menu hack and a menu item that is known Better Burger branch-wide.
Once upon a time (as all good tales start), Simon popped into Better Burger Train Station with a request for a stack of five patties with cheese and nary a carbohydrate in sight. Thus, inspiring the meat monolith that is now his namesake.
Armed with this great grassroots tale, Undertow Media knew the final ingredients in this super-sized campaign needed to be a free lunch for all, well… nearly all.
Let’s be honest for a moment here – the name Simon doesn’t really scream diversity.
Opening the floodgates for all variations and transliterations of Simons (Saimones and everything in between) to reap the benefit of their keto forebear was a way to share the love and get news and lifestyle media on board.
Undertow Media took word of ‘The Simon’ to the people, getting the delicious news on TVNZ’s Breakfast, Herald on Sunday, out on the airwaves with friends at Flava, Niu FM and Hauraki, as well as on go-to online media in profiles and “must-do” announcements.
Touching base with some of our celebrity and influencer friends blessed with the name Simon also saw some epic results including local favourite Simone Anderson tucking into a free Better Burger lettuce wrap and Simon Bridges attempting to detour his press tour via a store.
Better Burger dropped the Simon story on Undertow Media’s lap without realising the nugget of gold that lay ahead. We worked our comms magic resulting in a campaign that punched well above its weight and reinforced the ever-increasing feeling that Better Burger really is the little QSR that could. Taking on the big boys and leaving its mark in and around the mouth of media and consumers.
With solid media coverage, happy Simons (not mention Simones, Saimones, Himionas and Taimonas) and great feedback, we reckon we’re due a burger. The irony is, there are no Simons et al at Undertow Media (yet!).
Results:
37 pieces of coverage across print, online and social media
One and a half minutes in a prime slot on TVNZ Breakfast
Generating cumulative reach of 4,246,315 to date