• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, October 8, 2012

The satirical Web site HAHAJK, co-created by Jamie Kennedy and digital agency engage:BDR, becomes the first step in a lengthy strategy to make Wahoo's Fish Tacos a national household name.

Wahoo's sponsors the site that hosts podcasts featuring political and pop-culture interviews and contents. It's part of the company's social media strategy.

Co-founder Wing Lam, who also appears as the spokesperson for Ford vehicles in Southern California TV spots, calls social media "word of mouth on steroids" because the cost per impression for most of Wahoo's campaigns "equal nearly zero dollars" to produce.

It's all about attracting social influencers through content, which provides a method to capture the ability to track clicks, Lam told MediaPost.

The downside to the edgy, grassroots strategy promoting the southern California local brand known for its surf motif is its risky satirical podcasts. Some of the political themes can be viewed as controversial, Lam said, but he's betting on word of mouth and gossip to sell.

Nine podcast shows will become available this week, ranging from sports to entertainment, along with the ability to share the clips on Facebook and Twitter with Fans and Followers, respectively. The eclectic style of the podcasts matches the combined Mexican, Brazilian, and Asian tastes of the healthy fast-food fish menu.

Jason Steingold, partner and vice president of branded entertainment at engage:BDR, said not only do Wahoo's Fans share content, but also celebs, like Joel Madden and Kristin Cavallari. While a lot of celebs don't come into the studio camera ready," cameras in the podcast studio will add video to the network.

Video could give a boost to the HAHAJK network. Google YouTube's top 25 original channels average more than 1 million views weekly; about 800 million viewers watch 4 billion hours a month, up from 3 billion hours earlier this year. Subscription rates doubled from the previous year.