• by Larissa Faw , December 17, 2015

Mellow Mushroom is best known for its pizzas and calzones, but now the family dining chain is introducing its new hamburger and veggie burger with the "Burger Best Friends Forever" campaign. 

Developed with agency Vert Digital, the multi-platform campaign builds off of existing Mellow Mushroom characters to create storylines and new creative spots that will hopefully turn these characters into brand icons, a la Ronald McDonald or The King.  

The animated series follows the adventures of anthropomorphic characters Herb (a veggie burger from Seattle) and Carnie (a talking beef burger from Denver). Additional characters include "deep-thinking Pretzel, athletic (light) Beer, bandmate Pizza and Carnie’s love interest, Cinnamon (pretzel)."  

Video shorts featuring these characters will run across Mellow Mushroom's social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, ThinkNear and two custom Pandora stations.  

There is also a microsite for Burger BFF that features activities and games including a madlibs-style story telling encouraging visitors to list their dream vacation, Burger Buds Quizzes, the "Show us your 'Gram Instagram" campaign, and a sweepstakes awarding prizes including a trip to Seattle or Colorado. 

This campaign represents a new direction for the 200-location pizza chain. Mellow Mushroom typically engages in multi-partner promotions when raising its brand awareness. Over the past few years, Mellow Mushroom, working with digital agency HelloWorld has developed promotions with Stella Artois and Coca-Cola, as well as introduced a campaign on Vine with Anheuser Busch and the Goose Island brand.  

This is the first digital project between Mellow Mushroom and Vert Digital.