Offering a better meal wasn’t enough, so Applebee’s offered a way to sneak out of the office to enjoy that meal. Lunch Decoy is a plastic inflatable “you”, designed to convince colleagues you’re holding down the fort while you’re actually at Applebee’s enjoying the real lunch you deserve.

Just like every amazing innovation, Lunch Decoys got their own infomercial. Six decoys were sold on Amazon in a variety of ethnicities and genders so that people could find their perfect lunch doppleganger.

Social media did the rest. Once people had a Decoy of their own, they were posting and tweeting about it.

For a minimal investment in an infomercial and a few banners, Applebee’s had a lunch sensation their hands. Six different styles of Lunch Decoys sold out in days. People were soon posting pictures on social media of their Decoy doing “work” while they enjoyed a Pick ‘N Pair lunch. Mass media picked up on the story, with articles giving Applebee’s credit for not only providing tasty lunch options, but also a taste of freedom.