The Unabashed Fan
The Ask :
Get people to stop scrolling and start engaging with Arby's on social. That's a tall ask considering no one wants ads on their social feed. Users are there to see their friends, families, and interests. Not only do brands have to compete against other brands on the timeline. They also have to compete with things people actually care about in a space where they're already unwelcome.
The Idea:
Social media is designed to reach specific audiences, so there's no need for generic messaging that has to appeal to everyone. We choose to find niche audiences to engage with and created custom content around their specific interests (Like gaming, pop culture, and anime). By geeking out with other fans, Arby's was able to join in on conversations where brands were typically unwelcome. The content resonated with fans because it was being created by a team who genuinely share the same interests. Arby's started acting less like a brand and more like an unabashed fan.
No one wants ads on their social feed. So we stopped making them.
The Style:
We wanted to be able to show the care put into the food, but the typical image of a perfect sandwich doesn't actually convey that. We instead started creating unique, handcrafted and meticulous art built from Arby’s packaging materials. We drew elaborate designs in Arby's sauce, made portraits using only sandwich ingredients, and captured entire scenes of stop motion animation using only the food. By creating analog content on a digital platform, 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.
Packaging Art
Artwork made by hand using only Arby’s packaging materials and common crafting supplies like hot glue that any fan would have access to.
Sauce Art
Moments spanning from pop culture to the marching arts come to life with meticulously animated sauce packets and sets built from Arby’s packaging.
Sauce Cinema
Moments spanning from pop culture to the marching arts come to life with meticulously animated sauce packets and sets build from Arby’s packaging.
Food as Art
With access to the vast Arby’s menu, it’s easy to turn ingredients into animation, or just make someone a sandwich, literally.
Cosplay
It’s impossible to look at niche audiences for gaming and anime without touching on cosplay, the art of bringing fandoms to live through costume and prop replicas.
Don’t forget to eat tomorrow. #Fallout4
Even Dovahkiin have to eat
Step one: Grab Lunch. Step two: Save World. Step three: Get out of your house.
Squad E has the cutest delivery boy
Everything In-between
Let’s be honest, our hat makes everyone look good. #NationalHatDay
The results :
We grew followers (19% year over year) and our @Arbys instagram account had an organic social engagement rate of over 12% for 2019. With the industry average on instagram landing between 1-3% and 6% being considered “Very High”, we knew this type of brand engagement was a sucess.
“Arby’s is lowkey crushing the social media game.”
— FoodBeast.com
“Thanks Arby’s, for showing me what good social media is!”
— Mediaura
“If You’re Going to Follow One Fast Food Chain on Social Media, It Should Be Arby’s.”
— Observer
“Arby’s is the 3rd most shared brand online.”
— Engagement Labs
Team project :
The creative team :
Over the course of 5 years this work has been created in collaboration with many many creative talents. Listed below is just the core team members assigned to monthly content over the years. They are just the tip of the iceberg, and every single person who has ever chipped in on the has had a hand in shaping the work that is Arby’s social..
My role :
From the initial pitch in 2015 until 2021, I oversaw the creative work on social channels that often extended into larger activations, and into across the digital landscape. I helped concept and develop the initial fellow fan strategy, and worked to hone it year over year with a focus on strategy and analytics to ensure all refinements were data lead.
I got to build a team of the most talented, hardworking, and smart humans in the business. That has honestly been my greatest career accomplishment.