Serving Up Stories: Chick-fil-A’s Masterclass in Digital Marketing Magic
We should be about more than just selling chicken. We should be a part of our customers’ lives and the communities in which we serve.
👆says former CEO of Chick-fil-A, S. Truett Cathy
Think for a second in your mind, how many brands do you actually think can be “part of customers’ lives”? I believe Chick-fil-A can.
Last Christmas, other than announcing the return of the beloved mint milkshake and games, Chick-fil-A kept the habit of releasing its Christmas short film and released this 10-minute animated film: Stories of Evergreen Hills®| The Spark Tree.
This story revolves around a young girl named Sam who loves helping others in need. She begins an apprenticeship with the Timekeeper and faces the toughest challenge to help her brother Zach overcome mean social media comments from his good friend who’s secretly having a really rough time — his mom passed away, he bombed a math test, has a tough dad, and might get kicked off the sports team. Sam decided to smash the mean with kindness. Along with Zach, Sam asked the math teacher and coach to give this friend a second chance if Sam accept Zach’s tutoring and improves his grade. Friends getting back together. Even more, Sam talks to the harsh dad and finally fosters this warm father-and-son communication.
This is certainly a very customer-centered and brand-enhancing digital marketing campaign that fits the Christmas vibe.
First, its adventurous and exciting setting made it fun to watch.
Second, the story suits the Christmas family vibe and aligns with the user case. I mean, who would refuse a little family time with such a cute warm film with a mouthwatering chicken sandwich on one hand and a refreshing milkshake on the other?
Last, but not least, it leverages the power of digital media and storytelling to express and convey that kindness, family, and helping others all lie at the heart of Chick-fil-A’s core values. As Chick-fil-A directly tells on its own website:
That’s why we created Stories of Evergreen Hills, a fantastical animated universe where kindness is more than a mere friendly gesture. It’s the central purpose of the world and the mission of its heroes….They are expressions of what we value most: kindness, family, and the joy that comes from serving others.
What I like the most is that this film does not even have any product promotion, i.e. main character eating a Chick-fil-A sandwich or dining in at a Chick-fil-A shop while communicating good value, scene, which has no doubt will pull the audience out from the immersive watching experience to watching old-fashioned dull advertising. It concentratedly tells the story of kindness and family, and so that’s what the audience gets about the brand.
A good part of a digital marketing campaign is that we can get a peak at its influence right away very easily. This ad now has 141 million views on YouTube.
From other comment areas, fans are commenting things like “It popped up as a commercial and I was compelled to watch the whole thing and then look up the whole series and send it to my grandson and everyone else I know with children!!!”
No need to emphasize how rare people watch the whole thing right? Let’s be honest, as a marketer, I cannot watch many brand videos to the end. Aren’t they just great grab-snack opportunities or bathroom breaks?
But Chick-fil-A, it did it.
Let me use a famous marketing quote here:
Think of content as the spark
and digital media as the fuel that makes it blow up.
And that’s the real magic of digital media — it’s like having a superpower for storytelling. Brands get to do more than just talk; they create whole worlds, making memories stick and letting their values shine in ways that are way cooler and more imaginative than ever before. It’s all about getting that perfect mix of what you say and how you say it, mixing in a little emotion and memory magic, and boom — you’ve got yourself a community that’s all in for what you’re about. It turns the brand into more than just a name; it becomes a part of people’s lives, a bond that keeps getting stronger. That’s how a brand goes from just being seen to being remembered and loved, making a mark that lasts way beyond the here and now.
p.s. Talk about a hunch turning into hard facts! After watching this short film, my intuition was buzzing — it felt like they were absolutely crushing it in the market. So, just before I wrote it down, I decided to do a quick reality check. Lo and behold, my gut was spot on! Data revealed that Chick-fil-A’s market share had ballooned from 38.3% in 2022 to a whopping 45.5% in 2023.
