Dive Brief:
- DoorDash and Shake Shack are partnering on Eat Cute, a limited-edition dating site themed around the restaurant chain's spicy buffalo chicken sandwich, per details emailed to Marketing Dive. The site will operate Feb. 3-15.
- Customers can visit LetsEatCute.com to create a dating profile, upload a selfie and share how spicy they like their food. Upon matching with a compatible person, the customer will receive a promo code for a free sandwich as part of a qualifying order via DoorDash.
- The campaign also includes a Twitter sweepstakes giving customers a chance to win a $5,000 DoorDash gift card and content from TikTok influencers Rahul Rai and Courtney Parchman. Along with generating interest in Shake Shack's new menu item, the effort could generate valuable first-party data for the marketers.
Dive Insight:
The partnership between DoorDash and Shake Shack serves several needs for both marketers and comes as brands look to activate around Valentine's Day. The effort is informed by findings that chicken sandwiches are one of the top 10 most ordered items in February on DoorDash, according to the platform's data. Shake Shack — perhaps best known for its burgers — made its latest volley in the chicken sandwich wars with a buffalo chicken sandwich that was introduced in January.
With the Eat Cute dating site, Shake Shack and DoorDash can engage consumers looking for a quirky dating experience themed around love for spicy food and the new menu item. The chance for a free sandwich (with a minimum order greater than $20) or a $5,000 DoorDash gift card could be enough enticement for consumers to share their information.
The activation could potentially be a source of first-party data for Shake Shack, arriving as restaurants are particularly short on such data because of partnerships with third-party delivery platforms like DoorDash. Restaurant chains are under increased pressure to deliver on the promise of digital ordering channels amid labor, supply chain and inflationary issues.
A Twitter sweepstakes and partnerships with popular TikTok creators could extend the campaign beyond the microsite and DoorDash app, where customers can also score free fries on orders of $15 or more that include a buffalo chicken sandwich.
DoorDash and Shake Shack in 2021 partnered on a nostalgia-themed Valentine's Day promotion that featured 1990s boy band Boyz II Men. The "Love Delivered" effort included a livestreamed concert, limited-edition menu items and date-night kits to help set a romantic mood for couples, and came as brands worked to activate around the first Valentine's Day in the pandemic.
