This is the story of meat, which became a mountain, which became a true media sensation. Arby’s is famous for its roast beef, but few people were aware of the radical expansion of their menu to include many other meats. We needed to tell the true story of Arby’s meaty menu, and get people talking.

Arby’s asked us to create something immediate and powerful as part of their national “We Have the Meats” campaign. A towering, vertical in-restaurant poster display depicting all of Arby’s meats – stacked one on top of another – as an awe-inspiring “mountain of meat” was placed in the stores. We knew it would incite trial, but we couldn’t predict that guests everywhere would want to order ALL the meats on one mountainous sandwich. Or that they would give it a name and post loving tributes to “The Meat Mountain” on YouTube.

As soon as our guests brought the mythical “Meat Mountain” sandwich into cultural existence, our focus shifted. We urged Arby’s to capitalize on these requests and create a secret menu item, “The Meat Mountain Sandwich”. The story was seeded with the Washington Post, which quickly gained traction among national media outlets and via social media, going viral nearly overnight. Guests flocked to Arby’s to try it and fans challenged one another to “conquer the Meat Mountain”, sharing their experiences along the way. Meat Mountain resulted in widespread awareness of Arby’s diverse meat offerings, and added $30,000 per day in incremental sales.

Our mountain of meat visual started as a simple concept that morphed into a media sensation overnight. We know the power of capturing attention at the point of sale, so we created an irresistible image that would speak volumes to Arby’s target customer at the moment of purchase. The visual was implemented in-store, at Arby’s franchisees nationwide in summer, 2014. We knew we would inspire customers to order other meats and menu items, but we couldn’t predict they would try to order ALL the meats on one mountainous sandwich. Or that they would give it a name. Or that they’d post loving tributes to “The Meat Mountain” on YouTube. Arby’s operational team acted on the requests and made “The Meat Mountain” a reality. Arby’s social media and brand teams capitalized on the all the chatter. Our focus shifted to promoting this mountainous secret menu item, and the results were phenomenal.

Starting with a single poster, we changed the conversation from “Arby’s roast beef” to “Arby’s meat mountain”. The mythical – and then real – sandwich generated over 46 million media impressions, over 100 media placements, and an average of 3,400 orders for the $10 Meat Mountain sandwiches (their most expensive menu item), generating over $30,000 in additional sales per day. The story was picked up by hundreds of news shows, with mentions on both The Tonight Show and Letterman. Publications including the Washington Post, Fox News, Time and Fast Company covered the trending phenomenon. Popular food bloggers wrote about “conquering Arby’s meat mountain.” Consumers took to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, posting how-to videos and documenting their Meat Mountain experiences with a carnivorous love. Our Meat Mountain program had an immense impact on consumer awareness and business outcomes. All proving, once again, that great marketing is a conversation- about meat.