Jack in the Box received two Effie Awards at last week's 42nd Annual Effie Gala, including a gold Effie for last year's rebranding campaign centered around the brand mascot being hit by a bus. The bronze Effie was for a campaign featuring a stable of mini cowboys promoting the chain's Mini Sirloin Burgers.
Burger King also was honored in the Restaurant category for its Whopper Sacrifice campaign, in which consumers could 'unfriend' 10 friends on Facebook in exchange for a free Whopper. Facebook eventually shut down the application, which notified Facebook users they had been unfriended, a violation of the social media sites policy. Burger King awarded nearly 24,000 coupons during the campaign. The campaign was developed by Crispin Porter of Bogusky, VML and Edelman.
The Effie Awards annually honor the most significant achievements in marketing communications and is considered by advertisers and agencies globally as the pre-eminent award in the industry. Jack in the Box's gold Effie-winning campaign launched Super Bowl Sunday 2009, and began with the chain's popular spokesperson, Jack, being hit by a bus.
The collision put Jack in a coma … and set off a social-media firestorm that sent millions of well-wishers to an interactive microsite (HangInThereJack.com) and had bloggers and message boards buzzing with chatter about the campaign, which effectively promoted the availability of the full Jack in the Box menu all day, every day. At the end of the campaign, Jack in the Box launched its new logo.
Jack in the Box said in a news release that the gold Effie award validated the risks taken during the company's rebranding campaign.
"The accident triggered a tremendous outpouring of support that re-engaged our guests with the Jack in the Box brand," said Terri Graham, senior vice president and CMO for Jack in the Box Inc. "It was a very successful campaign for us, and it's gratifying for it to be recognized with a gold Effie award."
The gold Effie honors the in-house marketing team at Jack in the Box along with their creative, media and online agencies (Secret Weapon Marketing, Horizon Media, JAC Communications and Apollo Interactive). The Mini Sirloin Burger campaign was developed with the help of Secret Weapon Marketing, La Agencia de Orci & Associates, Horizon Media and Apollo Interactive.
Since commencing its "Jack's Back" campaign in 1995, Jack in the Box has racked up 10 Effies, including five gold awards, for meeting and exceeding business and sales objectives.
Jack in the Box received Effie awards in the sustained success category in 2003, 2005 and 2006, and was awarded Effies in 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2008 in the fast-food category.
