MAC IT!
Turning a secret menu hack into a permanent CPK menu staple.
California Pizza Kitchen was developing a new Mac ’N’ Cheese menu item, and we saw an opportunity to launch it in a way that felt native to social rather than treating it like a traditional menu announcement.
The goal was to drive trial by making the new item feel like something customers had discovered rather than something they were simply being advertised.
The Idea
I pitched three creative routes for bringing the launch to life. The winning concept turned me into a fictional CPK marketing intern with a little too much access to the brand’s website and social channels.
The “Intern Leak” became our social-first launch platform.
Instead of announcing the new Mac ’N’ Cheese, the intern leaked the secret menu hack. The story unfolded across a series of posts, creating an ongoing narrative that invited the audience in on the secret and gave them a reason to keep following along.
I concepted, pitched, wrote, starred in, produced, and edited the campaign content, building the story piece by piece across social.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DGOhRS7R3oY/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DGTqnNnxCBw/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DGgrFdsxPIN/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DG54fFfAp3a/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DHEYdtwqheq/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DHZMnJjRRbA/
Making the Secret Bigger
To turn the social storyline into real-world trial, we brought creators into the story.
Influencers helped spread the “secret” beyond CPK’s owned channels, giving the hack additional credibility and reach while making it feel like something people were genuinely discovering across the internet.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DHZjM8hSgbF/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DHMckfryjQ4/https://www.instagram.com/p/DHeH44DRGnh/
From Secret Hack to Menu Staple
The campaign was designed to evolve with the product.
As the Mac ’N’ Cheese gained traction, the “secret” eventually became official. The item graduated from a social menu hack to a permanent fixture on CPK’s online and in-store menus.
And the intern? They got promoted.
For National Mac ’N’ Cheese Day, my character officially graduated from CPK Marketing Intern to MAC Manager, and we celebrated with a full-blown Macathon.
The campaign had evolved from a social-first product launch into an ongoing character and content platform that could continue to generate culture around the product.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DMGB7WBhUmv/