Aunties Spring Into Action for Panda Express

Look who's getting a sequel

How goofy can aunties get for Panda Express? Singing the brand’s praises simply wasn’t enough. Now, they’re delivering dinner and the marketing message with action-flick intensity.

Would these ladies of a certain age crash through doors to feed their fams, splintering wood and smashing hinges?

We all know the answer to that, but watch this amusing :30 anyway:

“We had a blast with the stunt double and stunt driver we had on set for some of the scenes,” Chris Le, senior copywriter at Opinionated, which developed the campaign, tells Muse. “It was exciting to see some of the moments come to life—like sliding across the hood of the car or hurdling the fence.”

“The scene when Cici kicks down the door was our last shot, late at night. And we were all slaphappy by then—everyone got a kick out of it. Pun intended.”

MJZ’s Pretorian Brothers directed, and “Action Aunties” drops across TV, social and online video. Some may find the humor too broad. But mass appeal is the point. And the first Auntie ads proved popular enough to merit this sequel. So it looks like the series could stick around for a while.

“This new chapter shows our aunties with more energy, heart and humor than ever, because the best comfort food is made with the fiercest love. That’s the feeling we want every guest to experience here at Panda,” says VP integrated marketing communications Fabiola Del Rio.