2024 Winner
SilverBest Launch/Relaunch
BronzeBest in Retail and QSR
Wendy's
"Cinna-Bon Voyage"
Initiative
"Cinna-Bon Voyage"
Initiative
Three years after launching a breakfast menu, Wendy’s hadn’t gained much traction. The brand was ranked #6 in Breakfast and were being outspent by competitors with far more equity like
A&W and McDonald’s.
So in 2024, in hopes of differentiating their breakfast offering, Wendy’s partnered with
Cinnabon to launch the “Wendy’s Cinnabon Pull-Apart” – an exclusive new menu item.
The #1 barrier our consumers face is having no Wendy’s locations nearby. Wendy’s has
only a third of the locations McDonald’s has and on average consumers have to pass 8
competitors before reaching a Wendy's.
Worse still, many Wendy’s locations are in smaller towns where they can’t rely on typical commuter channels like transit and OOH because our competitors dominate them and they don’t provide the national coverage the franchisees expect.
Rideshares are now ubiquitous across all of Canada and have become a popular way to commute – with morning rush hour being consistently one of their busiest times.
Despite this fact, it’s extremely common to see complaints posted online and across
social media about the unpleasant smell of many rideshare vehicles.
Scent is a critical factor in triggering food cravings and Cinnabon is a product with
perhaps the most memorable and intoxicating smell of all. The agency needed a clever way to use that smell to disrupt commutes and convince Canadians that Wendy’s breakfast is worth driving further for.
A campaign that turned a custom rideshare network into Cinnabon-scented ads for
Wendy’s breakfast.
The brand commissioned 150 rideshare vehicles across Canada – signing up drivers from Uber, Lyft, URide, and various local taxi services. Each vehicle was wrapped inside & out with Wendy’s branding, and the brand outfitted them with custom scent diffusers to make them smell like Cinnabon.
The brand mapped the rideshare program to match vehicles to all of their 400+ Wendy’s locations. They picked up riders throughout the day and took them to their destinations smelling like Cinnabon – so the passengers could continue spreading the craving without knowing it.
Each day of the campaign the agency planned a “swarm” – an activation hour where the rideshares were specifically deployed to drive around Wendys’ locations to trigger
cravings during breakfast time.
The team experimented with several scent formulas to faithfully recreate the iconic
Cinnabon scent. Essential oils were used (over air fresheners) for their ability to adhere
to clothing and linger throughout the day. They identified the perfect cinnamon sugar essential oil to remind people of Cinnabon and cue their cravings.
The agency designed a custom rideshare program with drivers from across Uber, Lyft and other services – even in the smallest of markets like Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, where they had to contract an independent taxi operator. Vehicle routes were mapped out in close proximity to each Wendy’s location in order to spark cravings where it would benefit the brand most.
The campaign made a significant impact, generating 107,143,762 impressions and leveraging 150 rideshare vehicles across Uber, Lyft, URide, and local taxi services. It engaged 10,523 rideshare riders and covered 400,213 kilometers, while also achieving 3,841,415 social engagements. Notably, “Wendy's Cinna-Bon Voyage” resulted in a 31.07% lift in brand consideration after exposure to Wendy’s
rideshare vehicles.
“Wendy's Cinna-Bon Voyage” drove impressive results, including a 26% lift in sales of Wendy’s Cinnabon Pull-Aparts. Additionally, Wendy’s breakfast sales reached an all-time high during the campaign, highlighting its effectiveness in boosting consumer engagement and purchases.
A&W and McDonald’s.
So in 2024, in hopes of differentiating their breakfast offering, Wendy’s partnered with
Cinnabon to launch the “Wendy’s Cinnabon Pull-Apart” – an exclusive new menu item.
The #1 barrier our consumers face is having no Wendy’s locations nearby. Wendy’s has
only a third of the locations McDonald’s has and on average consumers have to pass 8
competitors before reaching a Wendy's.
Worse still, many Wendy’s locations are in smaller towns where they can’t rely on typical commuter channels like transit and OOH because our competitors dominate them and they don’t provide the national coverage the franchisees expect.
Rideshares are now ubiquitous across all of Canada and have become a popular way to commute – with morning rush hour being consistently one of their busiest times.
Despite this fact, it’s extremely common to see complaints posted online and across
social media about the unpleasant smell of many rideshare vehicles.
Scent is a critical factor in triggering food cravings and Cinnabon is a product with
perhaps the most memorable and intoxicating smell of all. The agency needed a clever way to use that smell to disrupt commutes and convince Canadians that Wendy’s breakfast is worth driving further for.
A campaign that turned a custom rideshare network into Cinnabon-scented ads for
Wendy’s breakfast.
The brand commissioned 150 rideshare vehicles across Canada – signing up drivers from Uber, Lyft, URide, and various local taxi services. Each vehicle was wrapped inside & out with Wendy’s branding, and the brand outfitted them with custom scent diffusers to make them smell like Cinnabon.
The brand mapped the rideshare program to match vehicles to all of their 400+ Wendy’s locations. They picked up riders throughout the day and took them to their destinations smelling like Cinnabon – so the passengers could continue spreading the craving without knowing it.
Each day of the campaign the agency planned a “swarm” – an activation hour where the rideshares were specifically deployed to drive around Wendys’ locations to trigger
cravings during breakfast time.
The team experimented with several scent formulas to faithfully recreate the iconic
Cinnabon scent. Essential oils were used (over air fresheners) for their ability to adhere
to clothing and linger throughout the day. They identified the perfect cinnamon sugar essential oil to remind people of Cinnabon and cue their cravings.
The agency designed a custom rideshare program with drivers from across Uber, Lyft and other services – even in the smallest of markets like Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, where they had to contract an independent taxi operator. Vehicle routes were mapped out in close proximity to each Wendy’s location in order to spark cravings where it would benefit the brand most.
The campaign made a significant impact, generating 107,143,762 impressions and leveraging 150 rideshare vehicles across Uber, Lyft, URide, and local taxi services. It engaged 10,523 rideshare riders and covered 400,213 kilometers, while also achieving 3,841,415 social engagements. Notably, “Wendy's Cinna-Bon Voyage” resulted in a 31.07% lift in brand consideration after exposure to Wendy’s
rideshare vehicles.
“Wendy's Cinna-Bon Voyage” drove impressive results, including a 26% lift in sales of Wendy’s Cinnabon Pull-Aparts. Additionally, Wendy’s breakfast sales reached an all-time high during the campaign, highlighting its effectiveness in boosting consumer engagement and purchases.
Credits
Wendy’s (Client)Wendy’s Restaurants of Canada
Initiative Canada (Media)
Vice President, Client Advice & Management: Ishma Alexander-Huet
Group Account Director: Raichelle Ursua
Director, Communications Design: Mike Kamal
Supervisor, Communications Design: Christina White
Supervisor, Communications Design: Shubham
Senior Communications Designer: Dana Tartir
Vice President, Head of Creative Partnerships: Chris Gairdner
Manager, Creative Partnerships: Taylor Schmidt
Group Strategy Director: Christian Kern
Chief Strategy Officer: Sammy Rifai
Chief Operating Officer: Helen Galanis
Ketchum (PR)
Managing Director: Erin Manning
Business Lead: Jessie Poole
Account Supervisor: Michaela DiMarcantonio
McCann Canada (Creative)
Creative Director: Bill Schaefer
Art Director: Melissa Powell
Copywriter: Megha Kumar
Business Lead: Theo Wolski-Davis
Account Manager: Alvin Dungo
Wrapped (Media Partner)
Co-Founders: Davis Yates, Ian Feil
Operations Associate: Sara Mateika
Diagonal Media (Case Production)
Production Coordinator: Erin Kinkley
Partner & CCO: Garrett Kafchinski
Production Manager: Andrea Munger