Moe's Southwest Grill launches first national campaign

ATLANTA — Moe's Southwest Grill is launching its first national branding campaign with Burritos for "Life" Burrito Eating Contest and Sweepstakes.

 

The promotion, which kicks off July 1, builds on Moe's "A Moe's Burrito in Every Hand" branding strategy as the Atlanta-based fast-casual chain seeks to own the burrito category.

 

Company officials said the Burritos for Life promotion is an innovative strategy to increase brand recognition and generate same-store sales lift throughout the chain by capitalizing on the growing popularity of competitive eating.

 

"Burritos for Life is a unique promotion that leverages popular curiosity about competitive eating to reinforce Moe's free-spirited and irreverent brand position, especially among the 18 to 34 demographic," said Matt Andrew, vice president of operations and brand leader for Moe's Southwest Grill.

 

Andrew said a local store-level burrito eating contest will be held in every Moe's restaurant beginning in mid-July.

 

Thirty contestants will participate in three 10-person preliminary rounds at each store, with the winners of each round going head-to-head to be the local restaurant champion. Local restaurant champions will then compete in regional contests, from which five regional champions will emerge to compete in the national burrito eating finals September 2 in Atlanta.

 

The national winner will receive a grand prize that includes a custom built Moe's motorcycle by legendary designer Roger Bourget – and literally, Moe's burritos for life – vouchers for 2,860 burritos, enough for one burrito a week, 52 weeks a year, for 55 years.

 

According to a news release, Moe's is also sponsoring a random-drawing Burritos for Life Sweepstakes whose grand prize is also burritos for life (again in the form of 2860 vouchers).

 

In addition to traditional media, the Web will be a key component of Burritos for Life promotional strategies. There will be a Burritos for Life micro-site live during the contest period, July 1 to Sept 2, an online burrito eating game, and Moe will even get his own profile on MySpace, the social networking site that counts 27 million members.