Church's Chicken sends Facebook users on virtual scavenger hunt

Brief:

Church's Chicken, the fast food chain with more than 1,000 restaurants, this week launched a two-hour social scavenger hunt that asked Facebook users to solve riddles to win camping gear, per a company announcement.
The "Camp Smokehouse Finders Keepers" contest featured a 360-degree Facebook video of a backyard campsite with captions that instructed users to search for answers to questions. Participants had to type in the answer to each question separately and take a screenshot of the video with the correct answer, the contest rules said.
Church's offered 25 prizes with a total value of about $4,000, including a tent, hammock, fire pit, camping chairs, picnic table, cooler and video projector with a screen. The contest required participants to have a Facebook account and to use Facebook Messenger to complete their tasks.

Insight:

With the virtual scavenger hunt, Church's sought to engage Facebook users in an immersive experience that plays into the higher demand for outdoor activities during the coronavirus pandemic. The contest offered a chance to win a variety of camping gear, as more consumers are taking road trips and staycations instead of flights amid the health crisis that has limited travel options.

The coronavirus has at the same time led to a surge in social media usage, likely helping Church's to connect with more of its followers on Facebook. The social network's daily average users rose 12% to 1.79 billion worldwide in June from a year earlier, a sign of increased engagement.

Church's promotion comes as the company seeks to boost revenue amid massive disruptions to the restaurant industry. In June, Church's reported that domestic sales had rebounded to a pre-pandemic growth rate thanks to a focus on delivery and drive-thru. Digital orders jumped 80% since the outset of the pandemic, while drive-thru revenue increased 15% to 20% during the first two months of the crisis, the company said in an announcement.

Church's is the latest brand to host a virtual scavenger hunt to connect with social media users seeking online entertainment. Its effort was contained to a 360-degree video on a Facebook page, contrasting with a recent scavenger hunt by Wendy's that asked people to explore a number of online platforms for a chance to win prizes. The burger chain posted clues to its Twitter account on how to find gift codes on Spotify, Twitch and the Wendys.com website for the "Wendy's Cyber Search."