Applebee’s is America’s largest casual-dining restaurant chain, with ~1,599 locations. Almost 90% of Americans live within 10 miles of an Applebee’s. In 2023, Applebee’s was struggling to appeal to Gen Z. Restaurant visit intent among 18-34 year olds was down 11% year over year – and the brand was losing ground in being perceived as a place that’s “affordable to eat at often” and “good value for the money.”

Our challenge was to make Applebee’s All You Can Eat promotion relevant to Gen Z – by establishing the brand as part of Gen Z culture, and ultimately increasing perception that it’s a cool and affordable place to eat.

To speak to Gen Z’s about the economics of Applebee’s All You Can Eat, we created an influencer inspired by the most well-known economics meme (“Stonks”) and infused him with the instantly recognizable mannerisms of financial gurus and TED Talk speakers.

We dubbed him Ayce (All You Can Eat) Dealington, and shared his “Eatonomics” lessons across TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube… in a distinctly weird, only Gen Z-gets it-way. All of this was created by Cool 3D World, an animation studio that rules the internet language.

Then we spread his knowledge all over social media. Ultimately proving to Gen Z that Applebee’s is the best value, in a language only they understand.

It’s well-documented that memes are Gen Z’s love language, and TikTok is their go-to search engine (NYTimes). But the answer to the memes they are sharing and what they are searching for might surprise you: it’s financial advice!

While much of the cultural rhetoric is about how “poor” Gen Z is, their behavior reveals a different truth (Pew). What was once known as “boring” financial advice has taken on a new life on social. Almost two-thirds (58%) of 18-24-year-olds follow TikTok influencers who talk about budgeting, money or personal finance. Almost half say influencers have helped them make a financial decision, including investing in stocks (Credit Karma). The insight: much of the financial advice Gen Z receives comes in the form of influencers and meme accounts. The approach: make Applebee’s speak meme, in order to appeal to Gen Z, and their budgets.

To speak to Gen Z’s about the economics of Applebee’s All You Can Eat, we created an influencer inspired by the most well-known economics meme (“Stonks”) and infused him with the instantly recognizable mannerisms of financial gurus and TED Talk speakers.

We dubbed him Ayce (All You Can Eat) Dealington, and shared his “Eatonomics” lessons across TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube… in a distinctly weird, only Gen Z-gets it-way. All of this was created by Cool 3D World, an animation studio that rules the internet language.

We proved to Gen Z that Applebee’s is the best value, in a language only they understand: meme.

Cementing Applebee’s in Gen Z culture:

-4.3M video views – 19x more than @humphreytalks last TikTok – the financial guru Gen Z trusts more than Warren Buffet

-Every piece of content had at least one comment of the “Stonks” meme

-4k shares – so Gen Z could pass along Eatonomics lessons to friends

Increasing Gen Z’s perception that Applebee’s is a cool and affordable brand:

-Applebee’s raised its “cool” stock 114% (BAV, “cool” brand, Q1 2023 vs. Q1 2024, under 35)

-383% increase in Gen Z’s perception that Applebee’s is a good investment (BAV, “worth more,” ---Q1 2023 vs. Q1 2024, under 35)

-113% increase in popularity (BAV, “gaining in popularity,” Q1 2023 vs. Q1 2024, under 35)

-Overall brand love went up 39% (BAV, Q1 2023 vs. Q1 2024, TOTAL)