Wendy’s
pretzel bacon cheeseburger love songs campaign
Campaign: Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger Love Songs
Role: Senior Designer
Services: Campaign Design, Social Activation, Cross-Channel Brand Consistency, Press & Promo Collateral
The Challenge
Wendy’s was facing an identity crisis with younger audiences. While beloved for its chili and baked potato, the brand was losing ground among millennials who were increasingly favoring fast-casual options like Chipotle and Panera.
With the launch of its new Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger, Wendy’s needed to reinvigorate relevance, spark conversation, and reassert itself as a fast-food innovator. The business goal was clear: drive a 3% increase in same-restaurant sales and reignite cultural traction with younger consumers.
The Concept
During test market rollouts, something unexpected happened: people didn’t just like the Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger—they loved it. Twitter and Facebook lit up with romantic odes and food fandom. We saw an opportunity to turn that organic enthusiasm into a fully integrated campaign fueled by fan-generated content.
Enter: Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger Love Songs.
We turned social posts into lyrics, scored them to custom music tracks, and produced a series of humorous music videos, each celebrating a new round of fan love. The campaign culminated in a grand finale starring none other than 2000s boy band legend Nick Lachey.
No coupons. No product giveaways. Just internet fame, soaring vocals, and a cheeky celebration of fan obsession. The campaign playfully reinforced Wendy’s food cred while showing the brand doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Execution
As Senior Designer, I created and edited key visual assets across digital, social, and PR channels to maintain cohesion and momentum throughout the campaign. This included:
Social media graphics and templates for user-submitted content
Press kits and branded promotional materials
Design assets for video packaging and distribution
Art direction support to ensure brand consistency across channels
My role extended across teams to help integrate visuals into earned, owned, and paid content in real time as new fan submissions rolled in.
The Impact
The Pretzel Love Songs campaign became one of the most engaging in Wendy’s history, and the results backed it up:
7.5 million Facebook views
1.7 billion earned media impressions
93% reach of fast-food-loving target audience
31% increase in Wendy’s stock value
Original sales goal exceeded with a 3% growth in same-restaurant sales
Recognition
🏆 Cannes Silver Lion – Promo & Activation: Use of Social Platform
🏅 Cannes Shortlist – Branded Content & Entertainment: Integration of Social Media
🏅 Cannes Shortlist – PR: Retail & Restaurants
🏅 Cannes Shortlist – PR: Use of User-Generated Content
Social media engagement
