Primanti Bros. had a wing problem. Customers were letting them know the wings were too small, not fresh, and simply didn’t live up to the legendary status of their “Almost Famous” sandwiches. Years of haters posting online reviews, tweets, and casual complaints built up a reputation the brand couldn’t ignore.
They needed to relaunch their new, fresh, never frozen wings, but in a way that didn’t pretend the past didn’t happen. Instead of sweeping it under the rug, they wanted to own it. Loudly.
Our solution? We created the Sad Wings Hotline, a bold campaign that gave customers a place to air their wing grievances. It launched with a TV spot, spoofing class action lawyers with a number to call, so we can “make it right." 1.866.SAD.WINGS was born.
When people called, they were greeted with a voicemail that admitted the old wings weren’t great, and invited them to leave their complaint for a chance to win free wings for a year.
The biggest twist? We teamed up with real-life injury attorneys Morgan & Morgan to “co-sign” the message with outdoor boards in their signature look. Their board kickstarted our campaign, and their partnership contributed to the overall success.
Through a series of boards, social posts, CTV and a newspaper ad, the campaign was effective. Wings sales went up in just the first few weeks, store traffic increased, and we received over 700 hotline voicemails from real customers.
Most importantly? Pittsburgh showed up hungry, and ready to forgive.
