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- The burrito battle that put Harvester back on the map
Harvester had a problem. Popular with families and older generations, renowned for its salad bar, it was also a brand out of touch with a younger audience, particularly those in the 18-24 age bracket. Agency OneFifty was tasked with making Harvester relevant with this demographic.
Its solution: Elburritomonster, a chef influencer famous for turning classic comfort foods into viral sensations. With almost one million followers on TikTok and 1.5m on Instagram – a third of whom were within the target age range – Elburritomonster (real name Oli Paterson) was recruited to help reposition Harvester.
The campaign had four objectives:
1) Raise awareness among a younger audience
2) Drive brand fame through culturally relevant content that sparked talkability
3) Cement Harvester’s status as a national not nostalgic brand
4) Convert attention into action
Luckily, Paterson was already a Harvester fan – with a regular order – and was keen to co-create a suite of content and experiences. The campaign kicked off with Paterson learning the ropes at a Harvester kitchen.
@elburritomonster I’ve partnered up with @Harvester UK and first they got me working a lil shift so I had to add my cheeky burrito special to the menu for t... See more
He then embarked on a Burrito battle with a Harvester Grill Master, which was promoted with a discount code, as well as a series of challenges with other food influencers, which all tied back to the Harvester menu.
All the content was rolled out across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube Shorts and Harvester’s own channels. Paterson’s own content was also linked to Harvester’s site, to drive traffic and bookings. To maximise the impact, paid social engaged other influencers to share the content.
The campaign was accompanied by in-restaurant activations from QR-linked table talkers to Burrito Battle promotions.
Over five months, the campaign generated more than 12 million impressions across social media. And on Instagram, specifically, the content reached 1,323 per cent more non-followers than average, while awareness rose 140 per cent among the target demographic.
It also had real business impact, directly resulting in 1,343 bookings as well as tens of thousands indirectly. In total, Harvester registered an 11 per cent rise in new customers over the campaign’s duration and a two per cent increase in brand consideration.
The judges said the ‘solid, integrated campaign’ had prompted a re-evaluation of the brand. ‘Good use of an influencer. Great video,’ they added.
Agency: OneFifty