Industry-wide, transactions were on a decline in 2023 due to inflation and consumer spend on fast food items. Burgers were not new territory for Arby’s, but in a burger-heavy market, Arby’s needed to break through and be seen as a competitor in the space. This challenge, in addition to a looming annual sales goal, meant the brand needed to not only drive increases in burger share, but make a measurable sales impact through November’s burger LTO. This promotion needed an amplified way to differentiate it from the sea of boring-burger sameness, draw previous Arby’s burger lovers back in (Arby’s launched its first-ever burger in 2022), and drive credibility with new, young and diverse consumers.

The odds weren’t in Arby’s favor, and the brand looked at potentially ending a 13-year sales streak, until it found its secret sauce.

For the first time ever, Arby’s departed from traditional advertising to promote their burgers and turned to trusted partners at Paramount to bring together the joint-equity of two powerhouse brands through a full-funnel campaign that celebrated underdogs everywhere. Arby’s brought the Wagyu-craze mainstream with the highest-quality burger the QSR market had ever seen, bolstered by the shared narrative of Good Burger 2 and mass-reach of Paramount advertising. The campaign infiltrated consumers with custom burger-goodness across linear, digital, print, social, audio, Times Square New York out of home billboards and in-store across 3,400 Arby’s locations. To further resonate, Arby’s tapped 90s content creator Kate Steinberg to rally her social following of over 2.9MM Millennials through nostalgia driving Arby’s Good Burger content.

Being the “King of Meats,” it is no surprise that Arby’s product was a really great burger and only a great burger could be a “Good Burger”.

With an older consumer base sustaining the business, Arby’s had to find a way to reach and resonate with younger diverse customers, right-sizing their under-delivery against Millennials (85 index) vs. the QSR-category. Through social listening, Arby’s learned the primary challenge for target consumers was not understanding who would eat at Arby’s or what to eat there. Customer data showed that Arby’s is loved by its loyal guests because of the quality, taste and value but is misunderstood by the masses. The primary job was to get these young, diverse and apathetic consumers to believe that Arby’s is a relevant brand for them. Arby’s combatted this cultural tension by connecting with consumers through the collective human truth and penchant for nostalgia while building Arby’s credibility by borrowing the equity of a beloved and nostalgic partner, reminding consumers at every turn that it was a great day to have a Good Burger.

With access to the Good Burger IP, Arby’s created a meal that encapsulated a shared memory across an entire generation. The iconic Good Burger had been on Millennials’ minds since 1997, and for the first time ever, Arby’s was bringing the meal from the big screen to the drive-through. The Arby’s Wagyu Burger was paired with all the fixings from the movie – a secret sauce, crinkle fries and a strawberry shake. We blurred the lines of fiction and reality with a series of creative spots featuring original IP from Good Burger, which (literally) left dreams of dancing burgers, fries and shakes in consumers’ minds alongside a pop-up experience that made them wonder if they were in the 90s Good Burger restaurant or an Arby’s near Atlanta, Georgia.

Arby’s successfully transformed a limited-time offer into the ultimate limited-time experience, pushing sales from negative to positive while driving brand relevancy. Sales trend was +26% above forecast driven by the first two weeks of launch, the highest in Q4. The multi-product meal offering increased overall check size by +$6.10, driving significant halo effect, improving overall sales health with a +2.2% in sides and a +.9% in shake purchases. The Strawberry Shake ranked as the best-selling limited-time shake in Arby’s history.

Excitement around the campaign drove +6% traffic during weaker weekend daypart visitation. Most importantly, Arby’s saw immediate brand impact with positive conversation and sentiment +73% with Millennials. Arby’s entered the burger race as an underdog, but outperformed McDonald’s and Burger King Q4 movie promotions by 77% and 130% impressions respectively, driven by 484 earned media placements resulting in a staggering 2.36 billion PR impressions.