Mexican restaurant chain Mad Mex has teamed up with cult water brand Liquid Death in its latest campaign – orchestrated by independent creative agency Connecting Plots – to celebrate the annual return of its 1kg Big Burrito, now in its 14th year.
Available for six weeks until 21 July, customers taking on the Big Burrito combo challenge can enter to win a grand prize: a burial plot in a cemetery. Entrants must submit a 25-word inscription for their tombstone as part of the competition.
The oversized burrito also includes a complimentary can of Liquid Death, so customers can ‘murder their thirst’ (as well as their hunger).
“While Aussie property prices soar and the cost of living grows more expensive than ever, the cost of dying just got that little bit easier,” said Connecting Plots creative partner, John Gault.
“Partnering with killer brands like Mad Mex and Liquid Death gives us the creative freedom to push boundaries for greater ROI – we’ve had a lot of fun bringing this to life across creative, influencers and content partners.”
The campaign is rolling out across social, digital, POS and owned channels, as well as across PR, influencers and content partnerships.
@lach_mac Get your hands on the Big Burrito Combo at @Mad Mex , 1kg burrito and a can of @Liquid Death , a meal fit for the biggest dawg in the friend group #Ad ♬ original sound – Lachy McIntyre
On a social front, the campaign has engaged popular content creators Lachy McIntyre and Jon-Bernard Kairouz to deliver eulogies for friends and family who tackled the combo. Bespoke content will also be rolling out across satirical institution, The Betoota Advocate.
The overall aim, according to the QSR brand, is to drive foot traffic and sales during this limited period, while also launching a brand journey to emphasise the ‘Mad’ in Mad Mex.
“The Big Burrito is a staple of our marketing calendar,” added Mad Mex general manager of marketing, Nick Cook.
“We were excited to step things up this year and partner with the team at Liquid Death to really embrace the food coma that is more or less guaranteed when you down a 1kg burrito with a 500ml tallboy.
“Kudos to Connecting Plots for bringing the madness and developing a campaign that’s made us all a little uncomfortable – in a good way.”
In March, Mad Mex competitor Zambrero appointed indie shop Supermassive to its agency roster, after the franchise held a competitive creative pitch.
Laura Aldington, Simone Gupta, and Jon Austin’s agency took over the account from fellow independent Today the Brave, which won the business a year ago, in April 2023.
Earlier this month Kent Pearson joined Connecting Plots to lead the business’s social offering, a.glo, and expand its remit from social performance creative into always-on social, influencer, creator and content partnerships.
Last month, the agency also appointed Craig Page as its strategy partner after Tim Collier exited the independent after six years.
See also: Kent Pearson joins Connecting Plots as managing partner
Credits:
Client: Mad Mex
General manager of marketing: Nick Cook
Senior marketing manager: Tom Mort
Creative Agency: Connecting Plots
Creative partner: John Gault
Creative partner: Matt Geersen
Client service director: Emma McJury
Head of social: Kent Pearson