Newsletter
Events
Jack in the Box Goes the Retro Gaming Route
Look who's back for spooky season, combining nostalgia with AI
Jack Box returns for revenge this Halloween, and he’s doing it ’80s arcade style. Scared yet?
Dubbed “DealQuest,” the in-app game from Jack in the Box is all about unlocking codes for seasonal Monster Munchie Meals. Already a stone freak in sync with spooky season, Jack’s perhaps weirder, if possible, in 8-bit form.
BTW, the food bites. In the game, it BITES BACK. What else could I mean? (Kidding, of course. Pass the Monster Tacos!)
“Our target, the unruly ones, love Halloween. These are outspoken, rebellious folks who make Halloween their biggest late-night celebration of the year,” Bert Marissen, GCD at TBWA/Chiat/Day L.A., which devised the campaign, tells Muse.
“It’s also a key sales moment for QSRs. But Jack doesn’t just show up for the numbers. As the late-night challenger brand, we make Halloween bigger, louder and unapologetically our own, with bespoke LTOs and immersive post-apocalyptic games,” he says.
As for taking this route vs. making traditional ads, “Gamifying a customer experience drives a higher likelyhood of purchase,” explains agency connections director Danela Jimenez. “The deeper they play, the better the rewards, making the journey itself as valuable as the deal.”
While there’s obviously choose-your-adventure nostalgia afoot—think Oregon Trail—the team also strove to “bring new life into it,” says creative director Jake Roberts. “Infusing these styles with AI allows everyone to create their completely unique story with evolving graphics.”
So, it’s a cross-generational play with an eye on younger customers. That seems wise, given the chain’s rough patch of late, with sliding same-store sales.
“We took inspiration for the storylines from some of the easiest games to pick up and play like Scoops,” adds Dylan Cimo, also an agency CD. “We really wanted the experience to be super simple. Something anyone could jump into without button mashing.”
Oh, Jack will make you want to mash buttons. That face!
