You may have seen our “Where Flavor Gets its WingsTM” spot, but have you ever wondered how everything comes together to make it happen? We got with Wingstop brand manager Jessica McLain to show us the ropes and tell us what exactly goes in to that *perfect* shot – something about drills and copious amounts of ranch?
The Early Stages
Being a brand manager means that you wear a lot of hats in service to the brand. You’re making sure that all creative meets standards, helping guide our overall strategy, and shaping campaigns to have the best chance of meeting business goals. On the week of January 7, 2019, it also meant long hours on set bringing the latest campaign to life.
The new Where Flavor Gets Its WingsTM campaign centers around what Wingstop does best – flavor – and we celebrated by creating a spot intended to draw people into our world, the Flavor World.
There was a ton of work that went into the campaign before we could even show up on set. We went through scriptwriting, storyboarding the exact sequence of how the spot should flow, testing the concept with consumers, and a million other details before letting the camera roll. Filming a new spot is always a huge undertaking where you’re looking at everything from the kind of wing our talent will hold in the first scene, to trying at least a dozen different ways to splatter sauce across a green screen. Once we finalized those details, we were ready to shoot.
Aaaand We’re Rolling In 3, 2…
Our production team landed in California with a highly technical mission: how do you turn that feeling you get when you first bite into a Wingstop wing into a visual experience? We found the answer after about 500 of the most perfectly shaped wings you’ve ever seen, were fried, sauced, tossed (literally), and dropped into buttery baths, tubs of ranch, and even more sauce as we strived to get the perfect shot.
We shot in two different locations. The first was on-site at one of our restaurants in LA. To make way for our crew, the restaurant had to shut down, so shout out to our awesome brand partner for making that happen! In the TV spot, the restaurant scene is the only one with talent. So, this is where Louie and Lisa really got a chance to shine and ate probably no less than 30 wings each. A tough job, but someone had to do it.
Perfect! Do It Again.
The second shoot location was a giant warehouse where we spent two days making Flavor World magic happen through all manner of behind-the-scenes wizardry. The section where mouthwatering Hickory Smoked BBQ wings are spinning through space? The wings were fixed to rods and spun on a drill. The visually stunning shot of the wing slamming into ranch? Well, that was a wing that we dropped into a vat of ranch, but it took no less than two hours and dozens of different drops to get the perfect splash pattern.
If you think you can do better, I highly encourage you to buy a large ranch and attempt to drop a wing into it from four feet up. Just don’t forget to cover every nearby surface that you don’t want to get ranch on! Let’s call it the #WingDropChallenge, tag us on social.
That’s a Wrap!
So, after a full three-day shoot, we had the raw makings of the Flavor World, and it was time for our team of producers, editors, and studio engineers to get to work. They put in long hours to polish off our completed spot. The result was an immersive flavor experience that delights the eye, just as a fresh hit of Lemon Pepper delights the tongue.
Please join us in celebrating the creation of our world and make sure you’re following your crave to Wingstop, Where Flavor Gets Its WingsTM!
The Final Spots:
Brave suitors of the #WingDropChallenge – and any other regular person who just wants some Wingstop – can get everything they need here. Don’t forget the large ranch.
