IHOP
Paradise Pancakes LTO Campaign
Role: Creative Lead
Core Domain: Limited Time Offer (LTO) Launch, MarCom Gold Award-Winning Activation, Dynamic Web & Social Marketing, Experiential Social Live Streaming
User Journey Scope: Full Funnel (High-Impact Banner & Social Interception → Live Experiential Broadcast Engagement → Time-Dynamic Web & Email Nurture → In-Restaurant Foot Traffic & Conversion)
Executive Summary
To launch IHOP’s Limited Time Offer (LTO)—Paradise Pancakes—IHOP needed a high-energy, multi-channel campaign designed to drive in-restaurant foot traffic and highlight the product’s tropical flavor profile. The campaign focused on reinforcing IHOP’s core equity of “Breakfast All Day” while creating playful appetite appeal.
As Creative Lead, I defined the campaign’s visual identity and lead-designed primary digital touchpoints while guiding a team of Art Directors and Designers across channel extensions. I concepted and art-directed a first-in-category, MarCom Gold Award-winning 1.5-hour Facebook Live broadcast filmed three times throughout the day directly on the beach (complete with on-site creative direction and seagull management). The integrated digital ecosystem included a dynamic IHOP.com homepage module that transformed into “Paradise Hour” from 5–8 PM daily, a dedicated “Breakfastarian” brand page, location-geofenced in-restaurant Snapchat filters, Twitter GIFs, Waze navigation ads, CBS Sports rich media banners, and promotional email campaigns.
Technical & Professional Scope
| Categorization | Details & Competencies |
|---|---|
| Role & Focus | Creative Lead (Visual Identity Definition, Key UX/UI Design, Experiential Broadcast Direction, Cross-Functional Team Leadership) |
| Domain Scope | Award-Winning Social Experiential Activation (MarCom Gold), Time-Dynamic Digital Marketing, LTO Product Launch, Multi-Channel Campaign Ecosystem |
| Cross-Functional Stakeholders | Executive Client Leadership, Agency Strategists, Film & Broadcast Crew, Art Directors, Graphic Designers, Engineering & Media Partners |
| UX/UI & Production Workflow | Adobe Photoshop (Dynamic Web Modules, Social Assets & Banner Comps), Adobe InDesign (Production Redlines, Spec Decks & Layout Guidelines) |
| Target Audience | Breakfast Enthusiasts, Social Media Natives, On-the-Go Mobile Users, Loyalty Email Subscribers |
| Lifecycle Stages | Experiential Interception (Facebook Live Beach Streams & High-Impact Banners) → Time-Dynamic Engagement (“Paradise Hour” Web Modules & “Breakfastarian” Page) → In-Restaurant Conversion (Geofenced Snapchat Filters & Waze Navigation) |
Key Initiatives & Strategic Impact
A. MarCom Gold Award-Winning Facebook Live Experiential Activation
- First-in-Category Beach Broadcast: Concepted and art-directed a live broadcast placing Paradise Pancakes directly on the beach, streaming three 1.5-hour sessions throughout the day to visually prove that “it’s breakfast all day.”
- On-Set & Broadcast Creative Direction: Authored broadcast UI graphics, stream overlays, and provided hands-on on-site direction—including managing real-time environmental elements and keeping local seagulls off the prop plates.
- Award Recognition: The activation won a prestigious MarCom Gold Award for innovative social media strategy and live brand engagement.
B. Time-Dynamic Web Ecosystem & “Breakfastarian” Hub
- “Paradise Hour” Web Personalization: Designed a dynamic IHOP.com homepage hero module in Photoshop that automatically shifted messaging between 5 PM and 8 PM daily to promote “Paradise Hour” (“Because it’s 5 o’clock somewhere”).
- “Breakfastarian” & Product Landing Pages: Architected a dedicated “Breakfastarian” landing page celebrating all-day breakfast lifestyle imagery alongside product detail pages breaking down ingredient profiles and flavor offerings.
C. Geofenced Social & Contextual Media Interception
- In-Restaurant Snapchat Filters: Designed location-locked Snapchat overlays activated exclusively inside IHOP restaurants to encourage user-generated social sharing while dining.
- Contextual & Mobile Media Support: Art-directed Twitter GIFs, Waze in-navigation ad units targeting nearby drivers, high-profile rich media display banners across CBS Sports, and high-converting promotional email blasts.
Workflows & Governance
- Integrated Creative Direction: Established the campaign’s visual language and collaborated with Art Directors and Designers to maintain strict aesthetic consistency across web, social, broadcast, and print specs.
- Developer Hand-Off & Redlines: Delivered precise Photoshop UI layouts and InDesign redline specification decks ensuring flawless execution across media vendors and frontend developers.
- Experiential to Conversion Pipeline: Seamlessly connected a viral social live stream to local foot traffic and digital menu engagement.
