Marketing

Shake Shack wants to convince guests it's worth it

A new ad campaign launched in New York has the goal of shifting the value perception of the fast-casual brand.
Shake Shack ad
Shake Shack's ad campaign will start in New York City, but move to other markets in 2025. | Photo courtesy of Shake Shack.

Shake Shack CEO Rob Lynch promised to work on the fast-casual chain’s value perception when he took the helm earlier this year. And a new ad campaign launched Monday hopes to do just that.

Starting in the chain’s hometown of New York City, Shake Shack rolled out series of commercials with the theme “Worth It.” 

The campaign, which also includes traditional advertising, billboards, and digital outlets in taxis, subway stations, EV charging locations and parking garages, was developed in partnership with ad agency Preacher. It will also run on CTV platforms, including Amazon Prime, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Reddit.

The goal is to send the message that Shake Shack’s premium ingredients in menu items like the ShackBurger and Chicken Shack are worth the hype and worth the trip because of the meticulous attention to culinary craft, the company said.

“At Shake Shack, a lot of what we do is hard—from the time and effort put into sourcing top-notch ingredients to elevating the guest experience,” Jay Livingston, Shake Shack’s chief marketing officer, said in a statement. “This campaign is all about showing our fans that the hype, the trip to your nearest Shack, and the first bite of a ShackBurger are totally worth it—because we go all in to make sure it is.”

Marika Wiggan, head of strategy at Preacher, said research indicated many guests don’t know what goes into making the Shake Shack menu, though an estimated 51% of diners more broadly say ingredients are a top consideration when choosing a fast-casual restaurant. 

“Our goal is to put Shake Shack’s premium ingredients and culinary craft on the tips of everyone’s tongues, both figuratively and literally,” Wiggan said in a statement.

The campaign doesn’t say it, but the implicated question is whether the sandwiches are worth the price.

Prices vary by market, but Shake Shack said its burgers start at $6.49 and chicken sandwiches start at $7.79 generally.

Lynch, in his first earnings report as CEO, doesn’t want Shake Shack to be considered a special occasion restaurant, but he also wants to maintain the brand’s premium reputation.

The ads focus on details like the lean-to-fat ratio in the burgers and chuck, the smashed (with a tool they invented) beef patties that caramelize on the grill, the pickle juice added to the Shack sauce, the buttered and toasted potato buns, or, in the case of the chicken sandwich, the hand-breaded chicken fried with resulting crunchy nooks and crannies, and the buttermilk herb mayo.

“Worth it,” the voiceover states.

Shake Shack is also launching a Worth It Wednesday, from Oct. 2 through Dec. 18, in which guests will be offered menu items for free or at a discount. It will start in New York, but the company plans to roll out the campaign to additional key markets in 2025.

 

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