“How would you spend an extra hour in your day?” was the question 130 amateur filmmakers sought to answer in this spring’s Boston Market Homemade Movie Contest. In the spirit of its motto “We do the cooking, you do the living,” Boston Market asked entrants to create a 60-second clip showcasing what could be done with an extra hour a day. In response, filmmakers uploaded clips ranging from redecorating ninjas to flute-playing mystics to Boston Market’s MyExtraHour site. Each film shared one common character, the Boston Market Homemade Movie Contest cup. Ryan Landels’s Cop and Cup took the grand prize: a three-night, all-expense paid trip for two to Hollywood and a Boston Market gift card worth one “Dinner for Four” a week for one year. Boston Market won too. The chain now has 130 mini-commercials promoting its position as the industry’s preeminent home-meal replacement option.

The award-winning partnership between Wingstop and Hall of Famer Troy Aikman continued its strong performance this year with four more 30-second commercials. New spots launched in May 2006 feature Aikman trying to decide between bone-in or boneless wings in one; highlightingWingstop’s fries in “Frystop;” and admitting that Garlic Parmesan and Lemon Pepper are his favorite of the nine sauces in a third commercial. But Aikman’s most clever moment came in “Stick to Pizza,” where he and Wingstop poked fun at the wings– on–pizza– menus trend. Aikman, who signed on as Wingstop’s spokesperson in 2003, recently signed a deal to continue the relationship through 2009.

In June, Del Taco added a new kid’s quesadilla menu item improving sales of its Kid Loco meal by 25 percent. Then in July, Del Taco’s good run continued with the introduction of a new kid’s meal premium, the DT comic book series. The 20-page, color comics feature three characters: sports-crazy Del; Neena who loves to learn; and their pet chinchilla, Mr. Nibbles. Four stories were published. The books were inspired by the return of retro toys and the popularity of comic characters on the big screen. What makes DT comics truly unique is the presence of dialogue in both English and Spanish. Mass appeal coupled with language lessons.

Takeru Kobayashi, who!?! Capitalizing on the growing popularity and interest in competitive eating, Moe’s Southwest Grill kicked off its first Moe’s National Burrito Eating contest in July. Each location held its own local burrito-eating contest; 3,000 people competed in the first round. Moe’s hosted the top five on a three-day/two-night trip to Atlanta where finalists competed to win burritos for life, in the form of vouchers worth a burrito a week for 55 years, and a customized Roger Bourget motorcycle. In the end, Michigan native Mike Shelley walked away with the grand prize after consuming six Moe’s signature Joey Bag of Donut burritos in eight minutes. The brand also created a Moe’s for Life micro-site during the promotion period, an online game, and it’s very own MySpace profile. Contest finals took place on Georgia Tech’s campus before the high-profile Georgia Tech/Notre Dame football game. A clip of the final event has even made its way on to video-sharing phenomenon YouTube. HR >