Brief:
- Long John Silver's is launching its first big summer push with a "Fishmas in July" campaign that includes a second Spotify collection of songs about seafood, GIFs that work as coupons and swag giveaways to fans on social media, per an announcement shared with Mobile Marketer. The marketing effort, which supports the chain's new grilled fish introduced in May as well as its core menu items, kicked off with a TV ad in mid-June with digital elements ramping up in July.
- The campaign continues the "Fish, Yeah!" program that started during Lent, another key season for eating seafood, that included seafood-themed songs by the Coral Benders, a band based in Washington, D.C. Reimagined Christmas carols for the summer campaign include "We Wish you a Merry Fishmas," "O Come All Ye Fishful" and "Ole Fish Kringle."
- The seafood chain's downloadable Fishmas GIFs are redeemable for buy-one, get-one-free fish tacos when customers show them on their mobile devices at its restaurants. Customers on social media will receive surprise merchandise including Ugly Fishmas bathing suits as well as Fishmas slippers and towels.
Insight:
Long John Silver's extension of its "Fish, Yeah!" campaign aims to build on its effort to create a more immersive experience for customers as the chain shifts its media mix to online video, streaming audio and paid social to reach an audience of younger adults who tend to be more reliant on smartphones for media consumption. The name of the summer push, "Fishmas in July," plays off the unofficial holiday Christmas in July, which has been leveraged by marketers for sales promotions during a time of the year when many consumers are more interested in being outside then going shopping.
The Long John Silver campaign also boasts a strong mobile component by requiring customers to show animated GIFs at restaurants to receive a special offer. It's a twist on its last effort to use audio coupons that customers had to play to get discounts. U.S. adults this year will spend more time using their mobile devices than they'll spend watching TV, eMarketer estimated. Separate research from BRP shows that mobile coupons can influence where consumers decide to shop.
When the campaign started during the season of Lent, the key goal was to urge customers to get into the right mindset for seafood with humorous songs that helped to evoke memories of visiting the beach. Agency Baldwin& convinced Long John Silver's to extend its "Fish, Yeah" campaign after analyzing its sales data and determining summer is a bigger sales season than Lent.
Long John Silver's isn't the only brand to highlight original music as a way to engage customers recently. Procter & Gamble's Febreze air freshener brand released an eight-track album of musical ads that had gained a following on social media. The album is a compilation of the most popular Febreze ads in the style of hip-hop, country, pop and more. Similarly, P&G's Olay skincare brand staged an off-Broadway musical comedy earlier this year about a woman who seeks to regain her "glow."
