Jollibee had Times Square billboard models break pose to grab its fried chicken

Introduce Jollibee to the mass market in New York on a grand scale, using the medium Times Square is known for, with a playful spin.

Let the glossy models on neighbouring fashion-style billboards lose their composure, step out of their ads and grab Chickenjoy from Jollibee's bucket.

Two enormous digital billboards, across the street from the new store, show flawless models of the kind used for perfume and watches. Mid-pose they smell the crispy Chickenjoy on a nearby video board, break character and take a drumstick. It went live on 12 September and ran to 16 October.

The source reports no results. It says the new flagship already drew crowds lined up around the corner, and that the campaign would run through 16 October 2022.

In September 2022, as Jollibee Foods Corporation opened its flagship restaurant in Times Square, its creative agency of record David&Goliath unveiled an outdoor campaign that went live on Monday 12 September in the heart of the square. Fans had already lined up around the corner of the new home at 1500 Broadway.

The idea centres on two giant digital billboards showing the kind of flawless models who promote perfume and watches. In the middle of a perfect pose, each becomes so enticed by the smell and crispiness of Jollibee's Chickenjoy, shown on a nearby video board, that they break character and take a drumstick from a bucket. Their impeccable facade collapses into the joy of eating juicy fried chicken.

David&Goliath executive creative director Josh Miller said the team wanted to embrace the medium Times Square is known for and add a playful twist: what if the Jollibee outdoor looked so delicious that models from adjacent eye-catching fashion ads reached off their boards onto Jollibee's. Jollibee North America marketing SVP Luis Velasco said the Times Square footprint alongside world-class brands is a step toward the company's goal of becoming one of the top five restaurant companies in the world.

The digital billboards are across the street from the branch between West 43rd and 44th Streets, next to the Good Morning America studio. The campaign was to run through 16 October.

The models stand for the glamour that dominates Times Square, so their breaking pose reads instantly as 'this chicken beats that glamour'.

Using neighbouring boards as part of the joke lets the campaign act on its surroundings, not just fill a screen.

Placing it opposite the new restaurant tied the ad directly to the opening-week crowds.

In a crowded medium, parody its own conventions: let the product pull characters out of the neighbouring ads.

The source reports no results; at publication the campaign was live and scheduled through 16 October 2022.