On the cusp of Halloween, many brands start to roll out their spooky season campaigns featuring ghoulish hijinks. And while these activations are mostly standard fare, no one expected Wendy’s to release a true crime-style branded podcast ahead of the most frightening day of the year.
As it grows across the U.K. with 20 locations so far, the quick-service restaurant chain has released a seven-episode series called The Burger Files as part of its awareness-raising strategy of both the brand and its hero product—the Baconator.
With the accompanying tagline “Lifting the bun on burger crime,” it’s fairly clear this isn’t the most serious of shows. With more than 21 million listeners tuning into podcasts each year, the platform was chosen by the QSR burger brand and creative agency VMLY&R (soon to be VML) as the place to relay Wendy’s sense of humor.
“Podcasts are a huge and growing opportunity,” said Lisa Deletroz, regional marketing director of Wendy’s, who has relocated to the U.K. for a few months to guide its plans into next year. “Everybody loves true crime, but they also love comedy. And it’s the ability for us to do our tongue-in-cheek approach that we still pride ourselves on.”
Behind the production is comedian Sarah Barron as host and comedy writer Joel Morris, who has worked in television and film on projects such as Paddington, 8 Out of 10 Cats, and That Mitchell and Webb Look.
To create the series, more than 100 pages of scripts were written, investigating crimes against burgers, with the first six leading up to the seventh Halloween-themed final episode that ties all the cases together.
Dayoung Yun, creative director for VMLY&R, explained that the initial idea had been around for a while, but the timing hadn’t been right until this summer. With a number of restaurants opening, there was a requirement to find a way to communicate the quality of Wendy’s products.
“Wendy’s has a long history of innovation in telling their brand story in culture, and as one of the most popular genres of podcasting in the U.K., a spin on true crime seemed like the perfect way to tell consumers they have been settling for convenience over quality in their burgers,” Yun said.
The series is part of the campaign that includes paid and organic social as well as out-of-home and bus sides, alongside a trailer for the podcast released through YouTube. Its aim is to reach as wide a consumer audience as possible, especially those who have not experienced a Wendy’s restaurant before, as it offers an alternative in the market.
One element of producing the series involved a consideration in tone, as the brand aimed to remain consistent with its marketing across its homeland of Canada and the U.S.—but she sees crossover in the British sense of humor and Wendy’s tongue-in-cheek advertising.
“We have a real commitment to make sure that we are internationally holding that scene. We want our brand to be represented the same way across every country, no matter what country we’re in,” Yun added.
“But we also have to recognize and appeal to that audience. So tongue-in-cheek humor that exists in Canada is not the same as the U.S. And it’s not the same as the U.K. So, we need to have the base. But we also need to be flexible about how we iterate that. So, we’ve got our principles. We are not trying to create enemies. We are trying to have fun.”
Deletroz revealed that since the podcast’s launch earlier this month, there has been a growing number of downloads from around 100 per day, with 40% coming through Spotify. The series is also available across other audio platforms, including Apple Music. Extracts from each episode are also being shared through social media channels.
“It’s a crowded environment and it’s a crowded space, but we’re breaking through,” she continued.
Success for the campaign, once completed, will consider an improvement in sales, podcast downloads and site visits through the QR code that accompanies the advertising for the series. More than 18,000 visits were logged in the first week through the QR code alone.
Podcasting might not be the right fit for many brands, but “it enables [Wendy’s] to tell deeper stories in the places where people are already exploring their passions,” Yun said. “By building trust and brand affinity in these spaces, we are challenging a category where people eat on autopilot, all in a way that brings consumers in on the joke and drives them to question the sub-standard burgers they have been eating elsewhere.”
Moving forward in the U.K., Wendy’s aims to build new restaurants and bring in new franchisees, with a full year of marketing activity planned for 2024 while a value proposition is also being considered for Q1.
Following that, more focus will be placed on products and around the Baconator as the brand’s hero product, with quality being the focus across consumer messaging. Deletroz also theorized that the Wendy’s true crime series could return with updates or new investigations.
Bjorn Thorleifsson, head of research and insights at amp sound branding, highlighted the power of audio to create positive association and memory impact that podcasts can allow brands to tap into.
“Podcasts are also a perfect vehicle to capture the ears of both millennials and Gen Z, who tend to listen to large amounts of audio content given its accessibility and mobility,” he said.
According to Spotify’s Culture Next survey, over half of these demographics turn to audio entertainment to escape or enhance their reality. “More marketers should consider podcast advertising in their marketing mix for brands to promote consumer trust, customer impact and next-gen engagement,” he added.
