Dive Brief:

• Jack in the Box recruited actor and former employee Mark Hamill for a new campaign that launches today and promotes the return of its Spicy Chicken Strips and French Toast Sticks menu items. "The Return of Mark Hamill" was created in collaboration with agency of record TBWA\Chiat\Day Los Angeles, per details shared with Marketing Dive.
• In a stunt video, the actor surprises customers by manning the drive-thru window at a Jack in the Box location. Hamill is also seen in two 15-second spots running across TV and CTV with paid social and digital audio support. Media planning was provided by Carat.
• To extend the campaign, Jack in the Box will release a limited-edition comic book in August that illustrates Hamill's history with the brand. The campaign ties into pop culture and revolves around an organic brand-celebrity relationship.

Dive Insight:

As part of its new campaign, Jack in the Box is collaborating with a celebrity who has an authentic connection to the brand. This approach runs counter to many of its QSR rivals, which have rushed to team with the hottest, buzziest celebrity influencers, from McDonald's Famous Orders platform to Popeye's work with Megan Thee Stallion.

A teenaged Mark Hamill worked at the chain in the 1970s but was fired after using a clown voice (a nod to Jack in the Box's logo) while working the drive-thru. The actor would go on to global fame as Luke Skywalker in "Star Wars" and eventually become a prolific voice actor perhaps best known for playing another iconic clown, The Joker, across various animated "Batman" projects.

As part of the campaign, Hamill again manned the drive-thru — and did funny voices — for a stunt video in which he surprised Jack in the Box customers. He also features in two 15-second spots that have a greater product focus. The ads are running on TV and CTV with social support across TikTok, Snapchat, Twitter and Meta properties, with additional support on YouTube, Spotify and Pandora radio. The panoply of channels demonstrates how marketers like Jack in the Box are thinking big when engaging with consumers, especially younger, digitally native ones.

In another attempt to engage younger consumers, Jack in the Box will sell a limited-edition comic book that shows Hamill's history with the brand. Aside from any e-commerce revenue it generates, the comic book could also help the brand collect valuable first-party data about its customers. The comic book also allows the brand to extend the narrative of the campaign beyond TV. In addition to being available on the brand’s site, the comic book will also be available on DriveThruComics.com. 

The campaign was created in collaboration with TBWA\Chiat\Day Los Angeles, the agency's first creative work for Jack in the Box since it returned as AOR earlier this year. The agency first introduced the Jack Box character in 1994 before parting ways with the brand in 1997, and is focusing its new creative push around what Jack Box would do as “CEO” of the company.