It was the peak of ‘Hot Girl Summer’, and Megan Thee Stallion and Nicki Minaj kicked back to watch the song become a meme-like movement that basically shattered Google Trends by June 2021.
But let’s face it, it’s way too hot for Hot Girl Summer. And if you’re anything like us, come August, you’re likely waiting the heat out (inside and with hefty A/C) until the leaves change colors and our favorite clothes come out of storage.
This satirical, seasonal insight became the crux of how A&W Restaurants would spread the gospel about their delicious Cheese Curds made with 100% Wisconsin White Cheddar.
Snack-size menu offerings are now a really big deal. With ⅓ of QSR spending happening outside of traditional meal times (Numerator Insights), and 86% of Americans opting for two meals and three snacks daily instead of “three square meals a day”, this new behavior isn’t going unnoticed by major competitors.
The Technomic Snacking Occasion Consumer Trend Report shows that Fast Food Burger Restaurants are second only to Grocery Stores when it comes to where they prefer to snack. So to build awareness with our snack-size content consuming guests, we did what anyone would do — create the highest quality branded fashion line of all-time to celebrate the season following Hot Girl Summer — Cheddar Weather.
Staying true to the heritage of A&W, we gave old-school craftsmanship a fist bump and a frosted mug of classic A&W root beer.
"The brand—perhaps best known for its frosty root beer and old-school dining experience—is forging a pricey new made-in-America, artist-driven path in this exploding space of branded merch."
"Varsity jackets and Thorogood boots come at designer prices as the brand seeks to own Cheddar Weather"
— T.L. Stanley, ADWEEK
This campaign was bigger than a guerilla marketing stunt. We built an entire e-commerce experience, and activated buying across A&W Restaurants’ social media channels. From @tylerposey58 (and his 6.5M followers) daydreaming of the letterman jacket to @serendipityfood proudly purchasing her own beanie, The Cheddar Weather fashion line created a fan-following, and real profits were generated. 😮
Beyond the massive social sharing and conversations, the A&W Restaurants Cheddar Weather campaign continued to grow. Measured Earned-Media Value results within the first 2 weeks (data as of Sept 30, 2021), 'Cheddar Weather' generated a reach of 36,962,033 impressions for an EMV of $739,240.66
