Last July, Jack in the Box says it became the first quick-service restaurant chain to use virtual reality when it launched Jack’s Brewhouse Bacon Burger with an immersive video. After the success of that marketing campaign, the brand is returning to the virtual reality platform to launch its new Brunchfast menu, which will feature breakfast and lunch foods all day.
“We had a lot of success—and fun—launching that campaign, and as virtual reality continues to gain in popularity, we just knew we had to utilize the technology to bring our Brunchfast menu to life,” says Iwona Alter, chief marketing officer for Jack in the Box.
The virtual reality video transports viewers into the mind of Jack Box, the company’s mascot and fictional CEO, as he dreams of the Brunchfast concept. “Jack Box came up with the idea for Brunchfast when his pregnant wife, Cricket, told him she had a craving for the flavors of brunch,” Alter says.
Included in the video is an original song by Bart Baker, who is known for making music video parodies, and includes appearances from YouTube celebrities Daym Drops and Josh Elkin. Baker had worked with Jack in the Box before in other campaigns, but Alter says the company added cameos from Daym Drops and Elkins to create a trio of influencers to amplify the reach of the campaign.
“We loved the idea of blending the worlds of food, pop culture, and tech to create a fun experience for our guests,” Alter says. “Many of our guests are also incredibly tech-savvy, so virtual reality has proven to be an effective medium in reaching them with our brand message.”
The video takes viewers through worlds inspired by Brunchfast items, such the Bacon & Egg Chicken Sandwich, the Southwest Scrambler Plate, and the Brunch Burger.
Jack in the Box also launched a fully immersive Brunchfast virtual reality experience at ComplexCon this month in Long Beach, California. Visitors were able to walk into a Jack in the Box Mystery Box, which allowed them to enter Jack’s mind and presented them with a series of worlds based on Brunchfast.
“Brunchfast is more than food to us—it’s a feeling,” Alter says. “With both ComplexCon and our VR video, we were able to create sights, smells, and music that represented the vibrant sense of brunch that we know our consumers love.”
Visitors walked through a ball pit and entered a white box that only featured the brand’s logo.
Once inside, participants take part in a sensory experience, combining video, sound, smell, and feeling for a sensory experience. For example, blood orange butterflies greet visitors, and they can smell maple syrup as they enter a cave inside a pancake volcano where syrup lava drips down the walls. Once the volcano erupts, visitors are submerged in a virtual ocean of syrup. They also get the simulated feeling of being shot into the clouds and riding a cloud back down to land. Bacon-scented virtual reality headsets were also given away at the convention, “so fans could experience the video anywhere they wanted,” Alter says.
Customers are able to view the video on the Jack in the Box YouTube channel. It has already received more than 700,000 views across the brand’s social media channels.
“At Jack in the Box, we’re always thinking outside the box—pun intended—and pushing the envelope of innovation,” Alter says. “Jack, himself, has a long history in food innovation and is known for his entrepreneurial spirit, so venturing into virtual reality territory is a natural extension for our brand. We will continue to leap forward with new and exciting ways to engage with our guests and deliver craveable products we know they want and love.”
By Peggy Carouthers
