Work hard or hardly work – casual dining chain restaurant Jack’s created a custom “Work From Patio” pod that makes it easy for people to swap deadlines for tan lines.
Canadians love a good patio hang. But the rise of work-from-home means that team lunches and after-work drinks have too often been replaced by sweatpants and leftovers.
As one of the country’s leading patio destinations, Jack Astor’s is encouraging people to enjoy the all-too-brief outdoor season at one of its restaurants with a summer ad campaign called “Work From Patio.” It lets people fool their boss into thinking they’re hard at work when they’re really only working up an appetite.
Partnering with The Garden, Jack’s created a series of social videos for TikTok and Instagram that show consumers pretending to be all over their work when they’re really working on a plate of nachos.
The ads are designed to drive viewers to their closest Jack’s to experience its new “Work From Patio” pod — a custom-built, soundproof booth, complete with a fake living room backdrop and “Best Employee” mug, everything they need to convincingly pull off a quick Zoom call between rounds of drinks.
“We’re known for our vibrant patios, but with the behavioural shifts we’ve seen post-pandemic, we needed a new way to invite Canadians onto our patios that better fit into their new daily routines,” said Anesie Johnson, VP Marketing, Sir Corp. “Not only is calling guests to “work” from patio a timely, culturally relevant move, it’s exactly the type of irreverent, tongue-in-cheek behaviour Jack’s is known for.”
Jack’s is sending the pod on a tour across Ontario and inviting people to tag their go-to Jack’s location on Instagram for a chance to have the pod show up at their local patio. They also installed custom “Work From Patio” backdrops at each of its 37 locations across the country, giving everyone a chance to fake out their boss while patio-ing like one too.
“Knowing that we needed a campaign that would feel fresh over the four months of patio season, we wanted to create a moving activation to give people that extra push to patio to check it out,” said The Garden’s creative director, Lindsay Eady. “Capitalizing on the popularity of soundproof work pods, we thought it would be unexpected and fun to bring one to Jack’s patios. People have been using it — whether it’s employees duping their boss or sometimes vice versa.”
The campaign is being supported by a series of headline-driven OOH, digital and social posts that mimic the video’s cheeky tone, reminding people that Jack’s is the perfect spot to slack off with their cameras on.
About SIR Corp.
SIR Corp. (“SIR”) is a privately held Canadian corporation that owns a portfolio of 53 restaurants in Canada. SIR’s Concept brands include: Jack Astor’s Bar and Grill®, with 37 locations; Scaddabush Italian Kitchen & Bar® with 10 locations. SIR also operates one-of-a-kind “Signature” brands including Reds® Wine Tavern, Reds® Square One, Reds® Kitchen + Wine Bar and The Loose Moose®. All trademarks related to the Concept and Signature brands noted above are used by SIR under a License and Royalty Agreement with SIR Royalty Limited Partnership. SIR also owns one Duke’s Refresher® & Bar location in downtown Toronto, and one seasonal Signature restaurant, Abbey’s Bakehouse®, which are currently not in consideration to be part of the Royalty Pool. For more information on SIR Corp. or the SIR Royalty Income Fund, please visit www.sircorp.com.
About The Garden
The Garden is a creative company, headquartered in Toronto, that believes that brands need to start focusing less on the impressions they buy and more on the impressions they make. Through the development of a strong strategic foundation and a holistic approach to creative problem solving and design, The Garden helps companies uncover the ‘why’ in what they do, with the goal of making every connection point an opportunity to build stronger, more lasting relationships with their customers.
Credits:
Campaign Title: “Work” From Patio
Client: Jack Astor’s
VP Marketing, Sir Corp: Anesie Johnson
Assistant Digital Media Manager: Amanda Farrow
Agency: The Garden
Chief Creative Officer: Shane Ogilvie
Chief Strategy Officer: Shari Walczak
Managing Director: Dic Dickerson
Creative Director: Lindsay Eady
Strategy Director: Jenn Munoz
Design Director: Adriana Ivory
Intermediate Designer: Sam Liacos
Senior Copywriter: Chris Lihou
Senior Art Director: Cam Hopkins
Copywriter: Nuala Murray
Art Director: Mriga Suchdeva
Business Lead: Kendell Edney
Project Lead: Julia Zammit
Studio Director: Jamie Morren
Director: Clay Stang
Director of Photography: Darrin Klimek
Sound: Jason Hopfner
Editorial Company: Brett Erina
Editor: Brett Erina
Audio House: East Line Audio
Audio Engineer/Director: David Henriques
Casting Company: Jigsaw Casting
Casting Director: Shasta Lutz
Media Agency: Cairns Oneil
Managing Director: Tim Hughes
Communications Director: Trish Irwin
Digital Manager: Rachel Schmidt
Communications Coordinator: Carl Revesz
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