“There are some brands and companies that orient around trying to protect against the downside,” said Jeff McCrory, the chief strategy officer at Mischief. “Chili’s is an organization that very much wants to maximize the upside.”
Price-sensitive messaging and empathy
While Chili’s is quick to respond to social trends, it also used social listening to identify strategies for planned campaigns.
Two of these campaigns were crafted to respond to consumer sentiment about rising prices, which were spurred by inflation and led to an increase in the cost of food.
To meet these concerns, Chili’s wanted to find fun ways to highlight the value of its offerings while still embodying its tongue-in-cheek humor.
In one campaign, Mischief spotlighted the R&B musician Brian McKnight, who memorably wrote the song “Back at One,” which prominently features counting. In the spot, McKnight plays a Chili’s waiter who explains, through elaborately sung counting, that restaurant-goers can order three items for $10.99 as part of its 3 for Me offering.
In another, Chili’s launched a new menu item called the Big Smasher Burger and, alongside Edelman, invited journalists to make and eat the burger themselves. The item has twice as much beef as McDonald’s Big Mac but only costs $10.99 when ordered as part of the 3 for Me option.
Chili’s creative partner Jon Marshall & Daughters created an ad pointing to that size disparity, which created a wave of earned press that helped further reinforce Chili’s reputation as an option for value-conscious consumers.
Most memorably, Mischief and Chili’s found that users on social media mistakenly thought that the R&B band Boyz II Men created its famous Baby Back Ribs jingle. In fact, the song was the work of the Austin-based agency GSD&M.
Mischief leaned into the misperception, inviting the members of the band to film a spot that features the trio eating at a Chili’s and launching into a cover of the jingle. To further the illusion, Mischief and Chili’s also created merchandise and a vinyl press for the single.
Taken together, Chili’s found its way back into the cultural consciousness by reminding audiences of its humor and value. Chili’s fans, after all, love a good ribbing.