Client Spotlight /
A Sweet Surprise: Launching Ezell’s Pineapple Cream Soda
How a playful product launch and targeted social strategy helped Ezell’s Famous Chicken introduce their Pineapple Cream Soda to over 620,000 local diners.
The Brief
When Ezell’s Famous Chicken launched their new original Pepsi fountain drink: Pineapple Cream Soda, the goal was simple: create buzz, spark intrigue, and get the beverage into the hands of their customers. Over a 3-week campaign, Golden Media developed a paid social strategy focused on three key objectives: local awareness, social engagement, and website traffic for online ordering; what we’d call a “full-funnel approach”. These objectives translated to three core KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators, a.k.a Success Metrics): Reach/Impressions, Engagements, and Website Clicks.
Using geo-targeted campaigns across Facebook and Instagram, ads were delivered within a five-mile radius of each of the 17 Ezell’s locations to reach nearby fast casual dining fans and fried chicken lovers. By combining simple graphics, trendy video content, and strong local targeting, the campaign positioned the Pineapple Cream Soda as a fresh, fun addition to the Ezell’s experience.
The Learnings
This campaign reinforced an important principle in restaurant marketing: sometimes the simplest creative ideas perform best.
When launching a new product, audiences respond strongly to visual storytelling and a sense of discovery rather than overly detailed messaging. Pairing appetizing visuals with playful copy created a moment of intrigue that encouraged people to stop scrolling and learn more.
Another key learning was the value of layering campaign objectives. Awareness campaigns introduced the new soda to local audiences, engagement campaigns amplified social buzz, and traffic campaigns helped convert that attention into website visits.
Going forward, these insights will continue shaping future launches for Ezell’s, leaning into visually striking food moments, curiosity-driven copy, and hyper-local targeting to connect with hungry audiences where they are.
Snapshots.
Product launches thrive on curiosity.
Messaging that introduced the soda with playful, teaser-style headlines like “New Flavor’s Here!” generated stronger engagement than more descriptive or functional messaging. Creating a moment of intrigue proved more effective than over-explaining the product.
Local relevance amplifies reach.
By geo-targeting ads within a five-mile radius of Ezell’s locations, the campaign connected with audiences who were not only interested in the product but also close enough to visit a restaurant location - maximizing both reach and real-world impact.
Different creative wins at different stages of the funnel.
Static graphics performed best for awareness campaigns, while video content drove stronger click performance among warmer audiences. Matching creative format to the campaign objective played a key role in performance.
