• by Barbie Romero , 8 hours ago

Lynn Blashford shares which channels drove buzz for their All Elite Wrestling partnership and how customer feedback inspires their campaigns.

1. White Castle and All Elite Wrestling formed a partnership to make the All-Elite Feast which sold out quickly. Can you share how that partnership came together and which channels proved most effective in driving buzz and engagement?

All Elite Wrestling reached out to our brand team to start the conversation. From our social listening we knew fans of the White Castle brand also had high affinity for professional wrestling entertainment, so it seemed like a great way to tag team on a fun collaboration. The creation of the “All Elite Feast” (which was available to order at the www.houseofcrave.com) was also an awareness building opportunity to coincide with the launch of our new Cheddar Bacon Cheese Slider debuting in the freezer aisle at major retailers. Similar to the direct-to-consumer Valentine’s Day “Love Kit” that sold out in two days in 2024, we anticipated the “Feast” would go fast, therefore the advertising focused on sharing the news with our most loyal Cravers via our owned channels. An email to our database and organic social post was all that was required to fuel the sellout.

2. How does White Castle select which brands to partner with?

We are fortunate that other brands will seek us out for partnerships. Our legion of loyal fans we affectionately call Cravers are a fun-seeking audience open to exploring and trying new things. White Castle is also known as an iconic brand authentically woven into culture for over a century. Being a cult-like classic makes us desirable to connect with. We consider collaborations when there is an opportunity for both partners to extend the reach of their brand to new communities that are equally as passionate. As a marketing team we’ve also established a reputation in the industry for being creative, nimble, and willing to be a little risky. Additionally, we optimize partnerships by leveraging our assets and our brand voice to bring on the fun.

3. White Castle is known to consumers as a spot for late-night cravings. What consumer insight inspired the Night Castle campaign?

Our history and our Cravers inspired us. From the beginning, in 1921, White Castle was open 24 hours a day to serve customers’ cravings day or night. Then for decades we’ve been known as “the” place to go after hours. We built a reputation for being the last stop after a fun night with friends, or the late-night that can sometimes turn into the early morning. A lot of memories and stories played out in those late-night visits to the Castle.

A comment about “saving the night after a concert” can translate into a campaign where White Castle becomes the hero of late-night culture. So last year we decided to be more intentional with owning the state of mind that occurs when White Castle becomes Night Castle. We supported it with a more holistic creative campaign plus menu specials, Craver Nation loyalty quests, delivery deals, and merchandise at our digital store front (www.houseofcrave.com). With our business that spans into retail products too, the Night Castle campaign applied equally as well for CPG. Another fun inspiration and insight learned through social listening was that actually many people were consuming Sliders in bed while watching TV or online viewing. Having White Castle Sliders you can pull from the freezer and prepare in minutes means you don’t have to disrupt your game or binge watching.

 4. What’s your advice for turning customer feedback into campaign ideas?

We are always anchored in our mission of creating memorable moments, so listening to customers is integral in all our marketing. Social monitoring, observing consumer behaviors, walking freezer aisles, and working in the Castles talking to customers and our team members are the best means for truly getting to know our Cravers.

Even the language and phrases they use will be woven into our creative content and our brand voice. We’ve also recruited our customers to be part of video campaigns and commercials over the years. Customers are represented in our packaging too. We celebrate our Craver Hall of Fame inductees’ stories by printing them on our Slider boxes. Our fans of the brand span generations, so as you can imagine that means a wide range of memories and experiences have occurred which can then translate into very heartwarming feedback or interesting experiences. Our Cravers are the best storytellers, although not all may be able to be published :).

5. What is your go-to White Castle order?

I vacillate between the classic Original Slider with Cheese I grew up on and the new Crispy Chicken Slider we launched this summer. But then again, I really don’t need to choose. Being slider-size means you can have multiples and satisfy both cravings in one order.