From initial outreach to launch, the entire process took about eight weeks, according to Clark.
The fast-casual chain even partnered with a streamer from Twitch, a popular platform for gamers to host live videos with participation from largely younger audiences. Avid Sims player “KelseyDangerous” hosted a two-hour sponsored livestream last week, where she demonstrated the mod to hundreds of live viewers and gave a few people $10 off their next Shake Shack order in a giveaway.
Since then, the video has garnered more than 7,000 views, and Clark estimates the campaign has resulted in 300,000 people in potential reach—“which continues to climb,” she says. Plus, thousands of people have downloaded the Shack mod off BeansBuilds’ and Insimnia’s Tumblrs.
KelseyDangerous revealed during the steam that BeansBuilds, one of the mod creators, designed the restaurant’s drive-thru feature in the game after one of the brand’s first drive-thru locations in Chesterfield, Missouri.
“Our goal was to reach new audiences while educating around our brand and our values in an immersive, engaging way,” Clark says.
This isn’t the first time Shake Shack has partnered with a popular online content creator. Earlier this month, Shake Shack spiced up its classic menu items with ingredients from First We Feast’s viral YouTube series, Hot Ones.
And earlier this year, the brand became one of the first companies to offer Bitcoin as a reward to customers for Shake Shack purchases made through Cash App, according to Clark. “We saw the test as a great opportunity to reach Cash App’s younger user base,” she adds.
Shake Shack ranked No. 19 on QSR’s 25 Fastest-Growing Fast-Food Chains in America, with more than 240 locations and $777 million in U.S. systemwide sales in 2021. The company opened 38 new restaurants last year and aims to add 45 to 50 new locations in 2022. While Shake Shack does not offer franchising at this time, some Shacks are operated via licensed agreements.
Celebrity chef Danny Meyer—founder and executive chairman of Union Square Hospitality Group—started Shake Shack as a small hot dog kiosk in 2001 in an effort to revitalize New York City’s Madison Square Park. The brand issued an initial public offering in early 2015 (NYSE: SHAK) with a stock price of $21, which hovered around $46 on Thursday.