Don’t worry; this isn’t some rando think piece. That said, Zaxby’s (and their indie agency partner Tombras) decided to put their hand in the hornet’s nest.
You generally don’t touch several things when it comes to Philadephia:
- Discussing Allen Iverson and the merits of practice
- Besmerching the good name of Rocky Balboa
- Calling a hoagie a ‘sub’
- Scrapple
- Blaming Donovan McNabb for Andy Reid’s terrible Super Bowl clock management
These are a sampling. But, if there is ONE thing you DO NOT TOUCH in Philly, it is the cheesesteak. It is sacred. Everyone has an opinion (South Jersey steaks are best. See?! An opinion!).
Now, why a Southern QSR decided to wade into the mix with a fried chicken cheesesteak, we do not know. Ok, we do know. It was a hell of a good stunt.
There’s Drago. There’s dismay that anyone would even venture into this territory. There’s certainly a good case study to be had with tons of fancy KPIs flying around.
And it tweaked Philly pholks (yeah, I spelled it that way). Chips squarely on shoulders, we caught up with The Perception‘s principal, creative director and Philly guy, Brian Anderson, to discuss the campaign.
Did Zaxby’s and Tombras do Philly dirty? Decide for yourself.
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Doug Zanger is the founder and editor-in-chief of Indie Agency News. He is also the founder of the Creative Bohemian consultancy, lives in the Pacific Northwest and is insufferable about it.
