Imagine strolling down a foggy street on Halloween night, a slight chill in the air and shadows dancing in the dim light.
Suddenly, a taco truck appears from nowhere, bathed in an eerie glow, and you’re irresistibly drawn to it—almost as if it’s calling you.
You’re tempted to step closer, but something tells you this isn’t your average street food experience.
You’re right.
Welcome to “Feeding Time”—a terrifying, twisted vision served up by American restaurant Jack in the Box to change how you think about fast food.
Photo from TBWA\Chiat\Day\LA
From Tacos to Terror
As Halloween approaches, many fast-food brands scramble to create standout campaigns. However, Jack in the Box, in partnership with creative agency TBWA/Chiat/Day had a unique mission in 2023:
Not just to sell tacos, but also to embody the essence of Halloween itself.
So, rather than following the trend of pumpkin-flavored treats or costumed mascots, Jack in the Box went all in with horror…
Set against a dark, fog-filled Halloween night, “Feeding Time” is an eerie tale of a cursed taco truck that lures in unsuspecting victims.
The short film’s storyline follows a trio of unruly teenagers stealing candy from two children. While walking off with their bounty, they notice a suspicious food truck peddling “Free Angry Monster Tacos.”
When one of the teenagers musters up the courage to approach the vehicle, a Cthulhu-like monster drags him under.
AAAAHHHHH!
Photo from TBWA\Chiat\Day\LA
The story features a cameo from Jack in the Box’s mascot, who sings Canadian rock band Len’s “Steal My Sunshine” before driving away from the scary truck.
Photo from TBWA\Chiat\Day\LA
That’s not all!
The short also features a hidden code to encourage use of the brand’s Jack Pack app. While watching the short, viewers should keep their eyes peeled for the code, which granted the first 1,000 Jack Pack app users two free Monster Tacos or Angry Monster tacos with purchase.
… and the horror didn’t stop there!
The brand also drove the Angry Monster Truck on the streets of Los Angeles on October 21, 2023. Consumers also had the opportunity to rent the truck for their own Halloween party via Resy reservations starting October 24, 2023.
See?
By tapping into a genre that many audiences love, Jack in the Box turned what could have been a standard product promo into something viewers would seek out on YouTube, TikTok, and other social media platforms for sheer entertainment value.
Was Jack in the Box’s “Feeding Time” campaign effective?
The short film was an instant hit, with over 2 billion views and 4.2 million interactions across social media channels… and more than just numbers, “Feeding Time” created a new conversation around how fast food brands could—and should—approach seasonal marketing.
Additionally, Jack in the Box dominated the QSR Halloween space, beating out competitors and gaining critical acclaim from both industry professionals and consumers alike.
Many viewers even commented that they had forgotten they were watching an ad at all, praising the film for its production quality and storytelling.
Others called it one of the best horror shorts of the year, surpassing expectations for a brand like Jack in the Box.
Kudos, Jack in the Box and TBWA/Chiat/Day!
So… why did the campaign work?
One of the reasons “Feeding Time” succeeded was because it didn’t try to be something it wasn’t. Jack in the Box has always long embraced its quirky, irreverent brand personality, and this campaign played perfectly into that identity.
The humor, the unpredictability, and even the unsettling imagery all tied back to the brand’s core message: Jack is an unruly character who doesn’t play by the rules, even when it comes to Halloween.
By fully committing to the horror genre, Jack in the Box didn’t just create an ad; it also created an experience… and in today’s fast-paced, content-saturated world, experiences are what consumers crave.
We hope you enjoyed today’s spooky-themed guerrilla marketing campaign!
In today’s entertainment-driven advertising landscape, “Feeding Time” marks a new era—one where ads can be as thrilling and memorable as Hollywood productions.
Jack in the Box’s success shows that audiences are ready for campaigns that entertain, unsettle, and make a lasting impression.
So, like Jack in the Box, are you ready to haunt the fast-food industry’s creative boundaries and redefine what it means to engage an audience?
Learn from the playbook of Jack in the Box!
About The Dynamic Marketing Communiqué’s
“Fridays: Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing”
Jay Conrad Levinson (1984) said that Guerrilla Marketing “works because it’s simple to appreciate, easy to execute, and inexpensive.”
Guerrilla Marketing is unconventional.
Looking beyond the traditional ways of advertising, marketers and advertisers need to spice things up in order for their brand to have campaigns that not only make an impact but also stick to their target market’s mind.
Guerrilla Marketing usually aims to have direct contact with consumers.
This type of direct contact should spark an emotional reaction that leads to consumers effectively remembering the brand.
It’s about making a big impression and making that impression last a long time (if not forever).
Guerrilla Marketing can be inexpensive.
The effect of this is being able to create a buzz around the brand, and the strategy used to market it. Almost everything is passed around through word-of-mouth.
Word-of-mouth is one of the greatest outcomes and it usually doesn’t cost anything.
This is every business’ or brand’s dream!
Every Friday, we publish tips, examples, and other useful content on unconventional ways of marketing and promotion.
Learn more about how to grab your target market’s attention and make an amazing first and lasting impression without having to spend a lot of money.
Businesses don’t really need to spend much for a guerrilla campaign. You do not need a big budget to be successful. You just need creativity and a good imagination.
Hope you find this week’s guerrilla marketing insight interesting and helpful.
Stay tuned for next Friday’s “Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing!”
Cheers,
Dyane Diasanta
Senior Content Writer
Valens Dynamic Marketing Capabilities
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