Tag: QSR
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Starbucks launches beta app in ChatGPT to fuel new drink discovery
Starbucks just launched a beta “app” inside ChatGPT designed to spark drink ideas when customers don’t feel like starting with a menu. To use it, people enable Starbucks via ChatGPT’s app directory, then prompt the bot with “@Starbucks.” It can suggest and customize drinks and even let users pick a store location—then it hands you…
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Spaghetti Monsters, De-Aging, and AI Twins: This Week’s Top 5 Brand Plays
ByteDance’s Seedance (now in its second generation) is the new video model fueling equal parts creative glee and IP panic. Creators have been stress-testing it with the internet’s favorite benchmark—Will Smith + spaghetti—except the latest flex is Smith fighting a spaghetti monster, posted by Magnific AI founder Javi Lopez. AI producer Billy Boman summed up…
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Carl’s Jr. Revives Iconic Ads with AI Twist and Nostalgic Appeal
Carl’s Jr. is leaning back into the “bikinis and burgers” era after previously trying to retire it. The reboot started back in 2025, with a Super Bowl-adjacent social push featuring influencer Alix Earle – which drove social engagement. The brand saw a 91% jump in Instagram followers per Metricool and 2.5 million TikTok views in…
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Starbucks bets on robots to brew a turnaround and win customers
Starbucks is pouring hundreds of millions into AI tools and automation to fix lagging U.S. sales—and it might be working. A robot may now be taking your order in the drive-thru, while back-of-house scanning tech is keeping better tabs on inventory. Partnering baristas now have a virtual assistant to navigate scheduling or recipe details. After…
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The Debate on AI Ads: McDonald’s Christmas Campaign Controversy
McDonald’s Netherlands pulled its fully AI-generated Christmas ad after it struck the wrong chord with viewers — both in the Netherlands and well beyond. The ad leaned into holiday chaos with a cheeky twist on “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” aiming to show McDonald’s as a calm-in-the-storm sanctuary. But what started as…
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How Jersey Mike’s Uses AI to Boost Local Ad Efficiency
While AI continues to be tech’s favorite buzzword, the real test for marketers isn’t hype—it’s whether the tech can actually trim waste and drive results. That’s especially true in local markets, where programmatic inefficiencies and ad fraud can gobble up limited budgets. With $26.8 billion in programmatic waste still rattling around the system, advertisers are…
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Holiday Chaos, Now in High-Def AI
McDonald’s Netherlands is leaning into December dysfunction with a fully AI-generated holiday ad that’s as relatable as it is ridiculous. Created by TBWA\Neboko and directed by the MAMA duo of Sweetshop, the 45-second spot rides the fine line between festive and frantic. Think flaming turkeys, exploding trees, and a shopper dragged behind a bus—all set…
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Munchies vs. Machines: Jack in the Box Levels Up In-App Loyalty
Jack in the Box is blending apocalyptic storytelling and AI-fueled gameplay in its latest customer engagement move, launching “DealQuest: Revenge of the Munchies” inside its mobile app. The game sends users on a choose-your-own-adventure-style quest alongside mascot Jack, battling rogue “AI Munchie Meals” in exchange for real-world meal deals. The deeper players go, the better…
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The Challenges of Taco Bell’s AI Orders
Taco Bell’s implementation of AI-powered drive-thrus has faced challenges, particularly with prank orders and customer frustration. After introducing the voice assistant at over 500 locations, issues arose as users tested the system’s limits, causing discontent on social media. Technology lead Dane Mathews acknowledged the system’s theoretical potential but recognized its shortcomings in high-pressure situations, prompting…
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Yum! Brands Leverages AI for Enhanced Sales and Marketing
Yum! Brands, the parent company of KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell, is leveraging AI to revolutionize marketing and operations. CEO David Gibbs reported over 200 million AI-driven communications this year, generating five times more impact than traditional approaches. With digital sales hitting $9 billion, AI enhances personalized messaging and supply chains. KFC UK enjoys…
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McDonald’s FC McDo: Gamifying Loyalty Engagement
McDonald’s is enhancing its app strategy through FC McDo, a mobile football game created with Ligue 1 and Publicis Groupe agencies. Featured in the McDo+ app, players navigate obstacles, earn bonuses, and score while wearing jerseys from Ligue 1 clubs. This initiative aims to boost user engagement beyond traditional offerings and revamp the loyalty program…
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Meet Shawn AI, the Pitmaster Who Never Sleeps
This Father’s Day, Cali BBQ quietly replaced its human phone operators with an AI agent named Shawn—and the results were anything but quiet. The voicebot, modeled off the restaurant’s real-life owner Shawn Walchef, handled 150 customer calls and is being credited with an 18% bump in Father’s Day sales, totaling $26,000 across 268 orders. Order…
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Lattes and LLMs: Starbucks Taps AI to Streamline Service
Starbucks has brewed up a fresh plan to speed up service and ease the load on baristas by teaming with Microsoft Azure’s OpenAI to roll out a generative AI assistant dubbed “Green Dot Assist.” Debuted in front of more than 14,000 store managers at its Leadership Experience event in Las Vegas, the conversational assistant will…
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Chipotle Gets Spicy in the Metaverse for Cinco de Mayo
To celebrate Cinco de Mayo, Chipotle is trading margaritas for metaverse magic with a Roblox-based promotion that kicks off on May 5. Dubbed “Ingredient Quest,” the campaign lives inside the brand’s virtual restaurant in Roblox’s Burrito Builder game. Over the course of five days, users will collect digital ingredient cards—each adorned with original artwork—by rolling…
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Big Macs and Blocky Worlds: McDonald’s Mines New Ground with Minecraft
McDonald’s is digging into new territory with a global campaign that brings its brand into the pixelated world of Minecraft. Timed to the April 4 release of A Minecraft Movie, the fast-food titan—via Wieden+Kennedy New York—is rolling out a hybrid campaign that lives both online and IRL. This includes custom meals, exclusive in-game experiences, and…
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Hutty Madness: Pizza Hut’s AI Sidekick Serves Hot Takes and Hotter Deals
Pizza Hut is doubling down on its March Madness sponsorship with a second-screen digital play called “Hutty,” accessible via Instagram and powered by Meta AI. The chatbot companion reacts in real-time to NCAA tournament games, dishes out snappy commentary, and serves up exclusive offers—like the chance to win free pizza for a year. This digital…
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Chipotle Rolls Up Sustainability with Roblox and Free Burritos
Chipotle just became the first restaurant brand to debut a national TV ad inside Roblox, blending immersive gaming with its sustainability message. The 60-second animated spot, Unfolded, created by Venables Bell & Partners, takes viewers on a journey through a world made of folded paper. As the scene transforms from industrial farming to colorful, sustainable…
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AI-Powered Orders: Yum Brands Bets Big on Automation
Yum Brands, the parent company of Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut, is making a strong push into artificial intelligence to streamline operations and drive sales. The company has introduced The Byte, a digital ordering platform designed to simplify customer transactions and reduce complexity for employees. According to CFO Chris Turner, this AI-powered system aims…
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Just Salad’s AI: Your New Lunch Wingman
Just Salad is spicing up the lunch game by introducing a new AI-powered tool designed to help guests craft their perfect salad. This innovative feature allows customers to create a meal that aligns precisely with their individual preferences, making the process of building a personalized salad both efficient and enjoyable. The Salad AI tool operates…
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Spicing Up the Holidays: Wendy’s Roasty Ornament Campaign
Wendy’s is turning up the holiday cheer and the heat with a bold new addition to its seasonal offerings: a Spicy Chicken Sandwich ornament. This isn’t your average tree decor. Designed in collaboration with VML, the ornament not only mimics Wendy’s signature sandwich but also comes with a twist—it delivers cheeky, roast-style insults to its…
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How Taco Bell’s AI Boosts Sales One Byte at a Time
Yum Brands, the parent company of KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut, shared that its investment in AI-driven marketing is paying off by boosting consumer engagement, reducing churn, and driving more purchases. In its Q3 earnings report, CFO Chris Turner highlighted the success of personalized AI-powered campaigns compared to traditional digital marketing, noting they led…
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4A’s Noteworthy News – 19th Edition
NOTE: this post first appeared on LinkedIn here. THE BIG STORY: How AI, AR and Wearables Will Transform Brand Experiences Meta Connect 2024 unleashed a whirlwind of announcements, showcasing Meta’s next steps in AI, AR and wearables—highlighting developments that could dramatically impact how consumers interact with brands, unlocking potential new advertising formats, and further blurring…
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How Hilton and Wendy’s Are Using AI to Improve Customer Interactions
Hilton and Wendy’s are leveraging AI to streamline customer interactions, focusing on enhancing efficiency without compromising the human touch. Hilton uses AI to automate routine tasks like selecting the right hotel room photos and allowing guests to choose their rooms from a floor plan. This frees up time for more creative, customer-centric work. Wendy’s has…
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Twitch launches brand-customizable game in Fortnite
Twitch and Amazon Ads have introduced “The Glitch,” a customizable in-game experience within Fortnite, aimed at engaging brands with the gaming community. Developed by “Halo” co-creator Alexander Seropian, this game allows brands like Domino’s and Peloton to integrate their brands into Fortnite. Twitch streamers will also promote these experiences to its large user base, 70%…
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Le Pain Quotidien tests digital customer clones
Le Pain Quotidien is embracing AI to enhance customer engagement and operational efficiency through its new digital assistant, Alain.AI. Initially developed to help franchisees streamline menu development, Alain.AI is now being leveraged to create “digital customer clones” by analyzing data from its loyalty program and social outreach. These digital personas will help the chain gain…
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AdAge Top 5 Metaverse Moments July
McDonald’s and Meta are among the brands in this month’s roundup of metaverse marketing moments… Top 5 for July: Ikea hiring metaverse employees Google’s new gaming strategy Restructuring at Meta Reality Labs McDonald’s returns to the metaverse Walmart’s metaverse commerce experiment Full details at Adage.
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Shake Shack uses AI to drive sales via Reddit
Shake Shack recently launched an innovative ad campaign leveraging generative AI and Reddit. Partnering with Known, they deployed an AI chatbot dubbed “The Big Letbotski” to scan over 80,000 subreddits for relevant conversations around chicken sandwiches. The AI then crafted targeted ads based on trending phrases like “healthy lunch on Sunday.” This 10-day campaign successfully…
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McDonald’s is pausing AI drive thru tests
While AI powered drive-thru ordering has tremendous potential, at least one fast food giant is taking a step back to re-evaluate options. McDonald’s is ending its two-year-old test of drive-thru, automated order taking (AOT) that it has conducted with IBM and plans to remove the technology from the more than 100 restaurants that have been…
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Burger King invites users to dream up weird Whoppers with AI
BK takes “have it your way” to another level with Generative AI… Burger King is taking ideas from fans for how to top a Whopper and using AI to visualize their dream recipes. The campaign, which includes a $1 million prize, asks fans to build their burger on a microsite, with the option to add…
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McDonald’s CM/CX-O reviews app-focused loyalty reboot
At a recent DPAA event, Tariq Hassan spoke about how the QSR power house has transformed its marketing strategy across a number of dimensions – including rebooting the brand’s loyalty program and the role that mobile played in that reinvention. Great case study on the value and importance of first party data, among other things……
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DoorDash launches AI-powered voice ordering technology for restaurants
While big restaurant chains have been experimenting with AI-powered drive through ordering for a while now, small businesses sometimes struggle with takeout orders. Online ordering from DoorDash and others makes it easy for most consumers to request delivery from their favorite participating local spot, but some consumers still prefer to order by phone. And DoorDash’s…
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Burger chains duke it out with ChatGPT-powered OOH ads
Fast food rivals McDonald’s and Burger King recently duked it out via ChatGPT-written billboards in Brazil, which became one of the most public examples of how major marketers are using artificial intelligence in out-of-home campaigns. McDonald’s was the first major marketer to use ChatGPT to make an outdoor ad, asking the buzzy chatbot ‘Which is…
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Starbucks Uses Augmented Reality to Celebrate and Encourage Kindness
Playful AR example from coffee giant encourages customers to spread kindness and joy… Celebrating the idea that kindness can be found anywhere, Starbucks launched an augmented reality experience that allows people to share kind messages with others. People can access this AR experience through the Starbucks mobile app, by scanning a QR code in Starbucks…
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WSJ puts AI drive-throughs to the test
WSJ’s tech columnist Joanna Stern placed about 30 orders at a Hardee’s and a human had to step in only three times. The American drive-through is one of the best places to understand the impact of artificial intelligence on our lives and jobs. As the fast-food industry has struggled with all-time high labor shortages, AI…
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Chick-fil-A launches mobile game, supports with TV ad
Chick-fil-A has launched a new mobile-optimized game, playable via a mobile browser, that features location-oriented questions. Players who get the correct answers can earn rewards and will be entered into a chance to win prizes such as free Chick-fil-A for a year or a trip for two to the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship. It’s…
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White Castle tests AI bots at drive-thru
White Castle is among a handful of QSR chains testing chatbots to collect orders at their drive through. Customer feedback has been … mixed. Julia, who works the drive-through at a White Castle in Merrillville, Ind., is in many ways a model employee: polite, prompt and doesn’t mind working the overnight shift. Still, something seemed…