Last Friday, Oct. 18, Southwest Airlines teamed up with noted Chicago food destination Mr. Beef on a menu item available for one day only, which came with an unusual side.
As a continuation of its "That's a Big Flex" campaign launched earlier this year, customers who ordered the "Southwest Combo" were treated to 10,000 Rapid Rewards Points on their next Southwest flight.
"We had many customers who had either just flown Southwest or were flying Southwest out of the city later that day coming in to visit and eat. They were surprised and delighted with the kismet -- which is reflective of exactly who Southwest is as a brand," Bill Bayne, group creative director, at GSD&M, the longtime Southwest AOR, told Marketing Daily. "We also had people who came straight down to Mr. Beef to eat after seeing Southwest's social posts announcing the combo."
Bayne claims that the activation resulted in over 700 sandwiches ordered, and the airline handing out over 7 million rewards points.
In addition to promoting the Mr. Beef activation with posts on its social channels, the new campaign from Southwest Airlines also includes a series of spots running on social media (Meta platforms and TikTok) and online video -- including ads featuring Mr. Beef -- as well as OOH activations and Uber installations.
Mr. Beef has enjoyed increased attention with the popularity of the FX series "The Bear," which was inspired by the restaurant and uses its storefront as a filming location.
The focus on Chicago isn't an accident, or simply an attempt to leverage the popularity of "The Bear," according to Bayne. Chicago is "one of Southwest's most important markets and, with the brand flying out of Midway and O'Hare, they are the third largest carrier in the city."
"Given our history here, we wanted to show up like a local, have some fun with some of the quirks and characteristics of the city, and remind Chicagoans that Southwest offers the most freedom and flexibility to fly whether out of O'Hare or Midway," noted Julia Melle, Southwest Airlines director of brand and content, in a press release.
Southwest Airlines kicked off its "That's a Big Flex" campaign back in April. The campaign focuses on the airline's customer-friendly features, like its lack of change or cancellation fees, and flight credits and points that don't expire.