• by Larissa Faw , January 2, 2018

After a "fast and furious few weeks," Droga5 is revealing its first campaign for new client IHOP since winning advertising and creative duties in November.

Its first project raises awareness of the limited-time “All You Can Eat Pancakes” promotion by injecting the agency's quirky humor into the brand's creative messaging. The 30-second “Pilots” spot features a pilot and his co-pilot going over flight pre-check, but it turns out they are actually so obsessed with pancakes that they re-route the plane and all their passengers to the nearest IHOP restaurant.

The media buy incorporates both traditional and non-traditional media. TV ads debuted yesterday (Jan. 2)  and will be joined by several 15-second ads that run through Feb. 11. Concurrently, an integrated social media campaign will run across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to align pancakes with everyday social media meme moments.

IHOP is a brand that’s "always got pancakes on the brain," stated Scott Bell, executive creative director, Droga5. “Knowing this was the mind-set, our priority going into this new integrated campaign was to capture this simple truth with three words: Pancakes, Pancakes, Pancakes.”

As IHOP celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, this campaign and new agency relationship serve as a pivot for a brand attempting to make itself relevant to today's diners.

Brad Haley joined the dining chain as chief marketing officer in November and the chain's top priority is to rebuild sales and traffic momentum by executing against a broad four-pronged strategy, which includes significantly enhancing the guest experience, running great restaurants, building and driving traffic, and being where the guest is, including delivery service with Amazon.

Droga is pivotal to this makeover, adds IHOP's president, Darren Rebelez, who believes the agency is "arguably the top creative agency in the country."

IHOP spent $47.21 million on advertising during the first six months of 2017, similar to 2016's $46.82 million budget. For the full 12 months, IHOP spent $91.58 million on advertising in 2016, according to Kantar Media.