The brief objective was to make the Cheesecake Factory brand relevant in pop culture by appealing to a broader demographic.

The challenge was to identify natural opportunities to integrate the brand and engage a wider audience on social media as it relates to pop culture trends.

The Cheesecake Factory hijacked the NFL playoffs conversation by associating its iconic take-out bag with the outfit worn during a pre-game by Travis Kelce, the most popular football player of the season.

A keen observation and timely post comparing the player’s turtleneck with the brand bag instantly went viral, turning the Cheesecake Factory into one of the most talked about brands in the post-game coverage and conversation.

The strategy involved leveraging always-on social listening and community management efforts to identify topical conversations. The aim was to create content that would resonate with the audience's interests while tying it back to Cheesecake Factory-specific consumer behavior and notable items.

The insight revealed through social listening efforts was that while the audience may not generally be interested in sports, they had a high affinity for specific athletes and pop culture references when associated with Cheesecake Factory-related content.

Through the brand’s always-on social listening strategy, we quickly identified an opportunity to leverage the buzz around the outfit Travis Kelce was wearing before the NFL divisional playoff match between his team, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Buffalo Bills.

The post was designed, quickly approved by the marketing team, and then distributed on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram platforms.

Through the brand’s always-on social listening strategy, we quickly identified an opportunity to leverage the buzz around the outfit Travis Kelce was wearing before the NFL divisional playoff match between his team, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Buffalo Bills.

The biggest challenge was to quickly produce and approve the idea, guaranteeing it was posted while the conversation around the outfit was still relevant.

The execution involved swift communication by the agency with the Cheesecake Factory CMO and marketing team to quickly develop and post the content.

The post was rapidly designed, quickly approved by the marketing team, and then distributed on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram platforms.

The entire process, from content creation to approval, took less than 4 minutes, highlighting the importance of agility and timeliness.

A keen observation, and an agile and timely post on social media, with $0 investment, helped Cheesecake Factory became one of the hottest topics around the NFL playoffs, driving over 2.6B earned media impressions with a $24.7MM earned media value.