An F&B campaign that didn’t focus on food: Behind AD Makers’ winning Wingstop Hidden Flavors launch

This post is sponsored by The AD Makers.

On 1 November 2021, Wingstop Singapore launched a campaign run by The AD Makers announcing its new flavour remix wings. However, none of the food was revealed throughout the campaign.  Nonetheless, Wingstop’s “Order Hidden Flavors” campaign impressed judges and swept three gold trophies at MARKETING-INTERACTIVE’s MARKies Awards Singapore 2022, winning gold for Most Creative Launch/Re-launch, Most Creative Digital, and Most Effective Use – Social”.

So, what caught the judges’ eyes?

Challenge

Gen Z, the target audience, are constantly bombarded with information on social media. With everyone trying to break through the clutter to grab their attention, they are numbed by the noise.

Solution

Rather than being louder than the competition, the campaign was launched covertly.

The three remixed flavours weren’t announced, but launched secretly. No visuals were distributed, no names revealed, and no direct advertising was done. By driving the campaign purely based on curiosity, and not telling the audience what they were supposed to be told, The AD Makers ran a campaign that left the audience wanting more.

Nobody knows what the flavours actually are, but everybody wants them.

Execution

The AD Makers hand-picked users and followers who fitted Wingstop’s personality for a giveaway of the hidden flavours. The influencers were then asked to create whatever content they wanted with complete creative freedom. The only rules being: the food had to be censored and posted with the caption, “ORDER HIDDEN FLAVORS”.

Meanwhile, in stores, no posters were made to announce the new flavours, except for a 1.5cm menu that was given only when a customer asked for it.

Cryptic notes were also pasted under tables for customers to discover.

A private Instagram account (@wsohf) was also created for Wingstop’s passionate fans. To gain access, users had to provide the names of the hidden flavours. Users in the @wsohf following list were then awarded with a chance at an exclusive giveaway – the grand prize being a one-year supply of Wingstop, and a vinyl record.

Results

The campaign saw a growth in organic content. Despite being an Instagram-only campaign, talk about “Hidden Flavors” spread on Twitter and TikTok organically.

Although sales of the hidden flavours grew sharply, none of the users revealed what the hidden flavours actually were, preferring to keep them as an online mystery throughout the campaign. The campaign generated an organic reach of 400,000, a 251% boost in social engagement, and a 30% increase in sales compared with Wingstop’s previous limited-time offer launches.

If you’re interested in getting The AD Makers to work on your brand, you can contact the team at talkto@theadmakers.com.