While Arby’s is beloved in the U.S. for its slow-roasted and freshly sliced roast beef sandwiches and a maverick in the U.S. quick service restaurant (QSR) industry, the brand fell far behind its competitors (ranked #16). The brand needed to reach new customers and underscore its unique expertise in smoked meats and reputation as the ‘King of Meats.’

Arby’s knows its consumers are multi-dimensional and wanted to connect with them via other passion points. Capitalizing on its reputation as the ‘King of Meats’ and smoked meat expertise (the brand’s meats are smoked at Sadler’s Smokehouse in Texas for 13+ hours), Arby’s entered a brand-new spirits vertical: bourbon. Armed with the insights that bourbon sales have grown 135% in the past five years and the largest percentage of bourbon drinkers align exactly with the brand's target audience, Arby’s developed the world’s first bourbon smoked with the same woods and methodology Arby’s uses to smoke its meats. Arby’s also created a cocktail smoker – called the Lil’ Smoker – in the shape of Arby’s ten-gallon cowboy hat logo that allowed fans to enjoy the ultimate – and premium – smoked cocktail experience.

Leveraging insights from Arby’s Curly Fry vodka launch in 2021 and leaning into the popularity of allocated bourbons (those with very limited production volumes) in recent years, we implemented a scarcity strategy around the launch. The media relations and influencer approach aimed to build buzz and excitement of the special edition, limited-time, expertly smoked bourbon before it sold out, targeting 25–54-year-old male consumers.

Knowing fans would have FOMO (fear of missing out) if they can’t get their hands on the ‘drop,’ Arby’s teased a second limited release. By signing up for Arby’s Rewards, consumers would be notified of the much-anticipated second release. Using earned media to tease and amplify the second drop, the brand extended the activation beyond the initial sale.

The week before launch, Arby’s hosted one-on-one tastings with top food, lifestyle and spirits media and the bourbon’s distiller (embargoed, of course). The distiller passionately guided media through the tasting while discussing the unique flavor profile and the distilling process. Many reporters – including self-proclaimed bourbon connoisseurs – were shocked by the bourbon’s high quality, taste and how well it paired with the sandwiches.

Two days prior to launch, the embargo lifted, and dozens of articles were published – all with ‘spirited’ reviews! Social content from three distinct influencers: a meat expert (showcasing the bourbon in a marinade), a lifestyle influencer (sipping it while enjoying an Arby’s Smokehouse sandwich) and a cocktail connoisseur (making a smoky old-fashioned cocktail) – reached Arby’s target audience in unique ways – and fans flocked to ArbysSmokedBourbon.com to sign up for Arby’s Rewards in order to get their hands on the second product drop.

Arby’s Rewards experienced a 24% increase in program sign-ups, allowing the brand to reach more consumers directly in the future than ever before. It was the biggest day for rewards program sign-ups in the brand’s history.

With over 270 media outlets covering Arby’s Smoked Bourbon, the coverage received more than 708 million impressions – all of which drove the bourbon and Lil’ Smoker accoutrement sell out in under two minutes on launch day and again a second time.

But the best testament to the success of the creative idea and PR around it was from the consumers and media themselves. In their own words, the Arby’s Bourbon is one “that consumers should sip and sip again,” and “if you love the taste of Arby’s smoked meats, then you’ll really love the new aged Smoked Bourbon…Basically, you can expect the drink to taste a lot like your go-to Arby’s order (plus booze).” These rave reviews came from national food and lifestyle outlets, both of which are inundated with thousands of products and pitches monthly. And beyond the media and influencers who attended the tastings, a wide array of top-tier business and consumer media – including Forbes, USA Today, Cheddar, Delish, Parade, Yahoo! Finance and syndicated radio show Elliott in the Morning – also covered the announcement.