Chick-fil-A’s cows return to TV to promote new mobile game

Chick-fil-A’s cows are returning to TV advertising as part of a marketing push for a trivia game meant to boost the chain’s rewards program.

The ad from McCann New York has the cows back working for Chick-fil-A’s mock rival Circus Burger, where the bovines in the past have covertly promoted chicken as being better than burgers. The new spot shows them in Circus Burger’s social media department, working on a program called “Code Moo.”

The Chick-fil-A cows have continuously been used in marketing but this marks their first time on TV since 2019. 

“We just felt like it was time to let them get back to doing what they do best in a bigger way, and that’s having some fun with our guests,” Joe Saracino, senior VP of brand, advertising and media for Chick-fil-A, wrote via email.

Code Moo is a desktop and mobile game developed by AKQA. Fans will answer geography trivia questions to help cows Daisy, Carrots and Sarge sabotage Circus Burger locations, a cheeky reference to McDonald’s. Each Wednesday, starting today through Aug. 1, users who answer that day’s three questions correctly will get a redeemable reward for a food item, such as a chicken sandwich, 8-count nuggets, or waffle fries, while supplies last. 

Members of the Chick-fil-A One rewards program can play the new game at playCodeMoo.com. Participants will also be entered into sweepstakes for the chance to win prizes such as free Chick-fil-A for a year or a trip for two to the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship. 

The effort comes as more fast food chains seek creative ways to boost their rewards programs.

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As technology has taken a more prominent role in patrons’ lives, Chick-fil-A’s latest effort leans into tech “in a way that doesn’t overtake their lives, but enriches them and provides shared experiences they can enjoy together,” Saracino said, adding that the summer campaign allows fans to “experience the Cows in a whole new way.”

The brand will be measuring the campaign’s success by customer engagement, especially with the digital game, by seeing how many of the 2.5 million weekly food rewards will be redeemed, Saracino added.

The new campaign comes as Chick-fil-A has been dragged into the culture wars, like so many other brands. It has been criticized as “woke” by conservatives for having hired Erick McReynolds as VP of diversity, equity and inclusion (despite him being with the company since 2021). Chick-fil-A declined to comment on the matter.

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Chick-fil-A finished 2022 as the third-largest restaurant chain in the U.S., according to the Technomic Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report, as reported by Restaurant Business. Its sales grew 12.8% to $18.8 billion, according to the report. In a separate report, Restaurant Business cited Chick-fil-A and Raising Cane's as the two chains that “easily outperformed the bulk of the fast-food universe over the past decade when it comes to increasing sales at a rate faster than inflation.”

Circus Burger started appearing in Chick-fil-A ads in the early 2000s.