We’re Nerds.

SOCIAL

Social Agency Of RecoRd

Social channels everywhere are filled with cookie-cutter ads that users mindlessly scroll through, typically giving posts less than two seconds of their attention. As agency of record for Arby’s, our objective was simple: get people to stop mindlessly scrolling and actually engage with Arby’s posts, ultimately making them the most engaged-with QSR on social media. 

That’s a big goal from the client. We knew social was constantly packed with engagement, just not typically between people and brands. Instead of trying to force content on the Arby’s feed we played it cool. Instead of looking at a generic mass group of people who simply like fast food, we observed niche audiences and began to geek out on what they were all geeking out on. If it mattered to them, it mattered to us.

Handcrafted

To stand out from other QSRs (and all other brands on social), we did the unexpected by creating unique, handcrafted and meticulous art built from Arby’s packaging materials based around niche fandoms like gaming, pop culture and anime. By creating analog content on a digital platform with our packaging builds, we were able to create a clear connection between the handcrafted care Arby’s puts into its food and the handcrafted care fans were seeing it put into its social content. We were standing out by blending in with other artists, fans and creators. Our niche social audiences began to to see Arby’s as a fellow fan as opposed to just another brand.

Our “fellow fan” approach was working, not because we were being clever marketers but because our Arby’s creative team was built of passionate fans who shared the same interests as the audiences we were engaging with. We were able to relate and converse with these fans on their level of authenticity and knowledge–and they absolutely loved it.

Social listening was also critical to the success. In addition to helping us keep tabs on specific requests from existing fans, it found entry points to existing cultural conversations in real time, increasing relevancy and authenticity.

TRUSTING CLIENTS

We worked with our clients at Arby’s to prioritize engaging over selling, quality over quantity and to give us to freedom to geek out. And they did. We knew it was crucial, while speaking to audiences with strong aversions to advertisements, to take risks in order to break through to them. Our clients were not afraid to be different. They knew they would have no hope becoming the most engaged-with QSR on social if they had the same approach as all of their competitors. 

RESULTS

We grew followers (19% year over year) and our @Arbys instagram account had an organic social engagement rate of over 12% for 2019. Yes, 12%… when the industry average on instagram is 1-3% and “Very High is 6%”. We also won several awards including 11 Addys, 2 Shorty Awards for Art Direction and Real-Time Response, a Digiday finalist for Social Brand Of The Year, and tons of press across a range of news, gaming, anime, and advertising publications.

View our LIVE work on Instagram / Twitter / Tik Tok / Facebook