SOMETIMES THE AMERICAN DREAM IS MADE IN A CHINESE KITCHEN.
Panda Express boasts more than 2,000 stores around the globe—all owned by a single family. Historically viewed as “greasy mall food court Chinese,” the brand needed to refocus in order to effectively compete against fast-casual giants like Chipotle, Panera Bread and Chick-fil-A.
Founders Andrew and Peggy Cherng embody an immigrant story that parallels every dish they serve: inspired by China, crafted in America. With a focus on touting the family-owned aspect of America’s largest Chinese restaurant, we not only created a new brand position for Panda Express—we set out to create and legitimize an entirely new category of cuisine: American Chinese food.
As the lead creative director, our team produces an average of 6-8 integrated product promotions each year, as well as tackling larger brand initiatives in partnership with the Chief Marketing Officer, Andrea Cherng. Our work has helped lead to a 14% increase in same-store-sales in just 24 months—nearly 5x what the category was experiencing overall.
WATCH THE CHINESE INSPIRED, AMERICAN CRAFTED STORY:
LOVE TAKES 5
Broadcast/web video and digital for Panda's recent LTO, Five Flavor Shrimp.
Posted record sales quarter.
Broadcast/web video and digital for Panda's recent LTO, Five Flavor Shrimp.
Posted record sales quarter.
For the Five Flavor Shrimp promotion, we used a targeted digital approach based on three specific messages: taste, quality ingredients and shrimp lovers. The landing page was reshuffled based on what intrigued them to find out more, and put a spotlight on their interest.
EAST MEETS WEST: CHINESE SPARE RIBS
Filmed in Hong Kong and Texas, we captured something we all have in common: The love of BBQ.
TSO GOOD
General Tso’s Chicken has been on the menu at Chinese restaurants across America for over 40 years. It’s the quintessential American Chinese dish. In 2016, Panda Express added it to their menu for the very first time with a reimagined recipe inspired by Chinese cooking, but crafted for an American audience.
General Tso’s Chicken has been on the menu at Chinese restaurants across America for over 40 years. It’s the quintessential American Chinese dish. In 2016, Panda Express added it to their menu for the very first time with a reimagined recipe inspired by Chinese cooking, but crafted for an American audience.
We discovered and introduced an obscure eating utensil—The Chork—as a symbol of the Chinese and American fusion that helps define Panda Express, their offerings and their culture.
FORTUNE GIRL
Panda Express is a family-owned company with a rich history of caring for people and sharing their good fortune—but unless you know that first hand, you might think Panda is just another corporate behemoth. In order to disprove that belief, we brought the founders’ values to the forefront with Fortune Girl: a young girl who shares good fortune wherever she goes.
Panda Express is a family-owned company with a rich history of caring for people and sharing their good fortune—but unless you know that first hand, you might think Panda is just another corporate behemoth. In order to disprove that belief, we brought the founders’ values to the forefront with Fortune Girl: a young girl who shares good fortune wherever she goes.
ORANGE CHICKEN LOVE
There are more than 65 million pounds of Orange Chicken sold every year at Panda Express. It’s their signature original dish, invented by Executive Chef Andy Kao almost 30 years ago—and it has a cult following. We helped celebrate the original dish with a fanatical campaign that included a cross-country food truck tour, a swag shop and more.
There are more than 65 million pounds of Orange Chicken sold every year at Panda Express. It’s their signature original dish, invented by Executive Chef Andy Kao almost 30 years ago—and it has a cult following. We helped celebrate the original dish with a fanatical campaign that included a cross-country food truck tour, a swag shop and more.
PACIFIC CHILI SHRIMP
American Chinese food gets a bad rep for being heavy, greasy and generally unhealthy, but Pacific Chili Shrimp proves all the haters wrong. This dish showcased Panda’s fresh, high-quality ingredients and thoughtful dish preparation—and guests couldn’t get enough. The Pacific Chili Shrimp promotion led to the highest sales quarter in Panda Express history.
American Chinese food gets a bad rep for being heavy, greasy and generally unhealthy, but Pacific Chili Shrimp proves all the haters wrong. This dish showcased Panda’s fresh, high-quality ingredients and thoughtful dish preparation—and guests couldn’t get enough. The Pacific Chili Shrimp promotion led to the highest sales quarter in Panda Express history.
