Burger & Sauce – PR Stunt Goes Viral

 PR / Social Media / Experiential

The Task

To generate excitement and buzz around Burger & Sauce (a successful chain of burger restaurants in the Midlands) at Valentine’s.

Burger & Sauce - PR Stunt Goes Viral
Burger & Sauce - PR Stunt Goes Viral
Burger & Sauce - PR Stunt Goes Viral
Burger & Sauce - PR Stunt Goes Viral
The Solution

We decided to craft a PR and social media stunt that would ignite virality and conversation. Drawing inspiration from the love of celebrity with our target audience, we gravitated towards pop sensation Ed Sheeran, renowned for his love songs and his fondness for burgers and hot sauces. Although securing the real Ed Sheeran was out of budget reach and the small fact he was touring in Thailand at the time, we devised a campaign centred around a professional Ed Sheeran lookalike. Ty, hailing from Manchester, had recently made headlines for his uncanny resemblance to the singer, even claiming to have been temporarily banned from TikTok due to his likeness.

We orchestrated for him to visit the flagship store at the Birmingham Bull Ring shopping centre and indulge in a special Valentine’s meal with a ‘fan’, within a VIP area specially created in full view of passers-by in the window of the restaurant. As carefully choreographed paparazzi awaited and Ty made his way to the store, excitement and interest erupted among the crowds of shoppers. Fans eagerly snapped selfies and TikToks, and later, we invited Ty to serve customers, further amplifying the spectacle and creating queues out the door!

Attention on social media was instantaneous as word quickly spread, igniting debates over Ty’s authenticity as the real Ed Sheeran. A captivating video capturing the event was seeded across TikTok and Instagram, as well as sent to media, press offices and influencers fuelling the buzz further. At the same time, we launched a Valentine’s sales promotion across all stores featuring a discounted meal for two, accompanied by a competition offering customers the chance to win a romantic meal for two in-store, complete with a specially curated VIP experience and gifts.

The Results so far…

As a result of our viral-worthy video, the PR stunt took off across social media channels reaching over 300,000 views in just 48 hours. Hundreds of people showed up at the store leading to even more awareness and excitement during the event and around the Valentine’s instore promotion and competition. The video was then picked up and reposted by local media @bhamupdates and @bullring resulting in even more comments and shares, debating whether or not the real Ed Sheeran was at the store! Our client fell in love with campaign.

I couldn’t believe it! There were so many people here and so much excitement around the store. I am incredibly impressed by what the jellybean team achieved. A great success.
Store Manager
Jellybean
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