Panda Express Invites Fans to Celebrate Lunar New Year With the ‘Good Fortune Scratcher’

Creative agency The Many’s new digital Lunar New Year experience educates around the traditions of the holiday and ethos of the Panda brand with a celebratory interactive game.

To celebrate the Lunar New Year, American Chinese fast food restaurant Panda Express is out with a new campaign from creative agency The Many that offers fans — and fans-to-be — a chance to win delicious food and gift cards. 

Running nationally through Feb. 21, the “Good Fortune Scratcher” is a digital game in which players unlock trivia about Lunar New Year and Panda Express through a fun scratcher experience. To repeat engagement and purchases, the scratchers are updated weekly over the campaign’s six week run, each with a unique design that leans into a different theme of the holiday. Players can win a lucky food-centric promotional offer, $8 off a Family Meal, or gift cards worth $88 or even $888. The campaign features a web-based mobile and desktop game. There are over 40 pieces of social content promoting the scratcher via organic and paid social media on Instagram and TikTok as well as email, interactive display and the Panda Express website. The recently launched campaign has already surpassed one million users.

Based in Los Angeles, The Many has been Panda’s agency of record since 2020. With this latest work, they set out to demonstrate Panda Express’s legacy as a cultural bridge-builder by educating people about the traditions and customs of Lunar New Year while encouraging ongoing engagement with the brand and driving repeat purchases, both in-store and online, of Family Meals and other lucky foods during the holiday.

“Nothing says Lunar New Year like a delicious meal filled with family, traditions, good food and good fortune,” said Jacque Vavroch, Associate Creative Director at The Many. “And nothing says good fortune like a good ol’ fashioned scratcher — so we were thrilled to bring all these elements together in one celebratory, gamified experience.”

With over 2,500 locations, Panda Express® is the largest Asian dining concept in the United States. 

Campaign Title:  Lunar New Year 2023

Execution Title: Good Fortune Scratcher

Client:  Panda Express

Andrea Cherng – Chief Brand Office 

Fabiola Del Rio – VP, Integrated Marketing Communications

Diana Huang – Brand Marketing Manager

Elaine Suh-Bartlett – Creative Director

Sisi Zhang – Digital Marketing Manager (social media)

Joyce Chuang – Digital Products Associate Manager 

Sim Randhawa – Digital Experience Marketing Manager (Platforms)

Robin Kang – Sr. Digital Experience Marketing Manager (CRM)

Jessica Chao – PR and Corporate Communications Director 

Emily Jitsumasa – PR and Corporate Communications Associate Manager 

Agency: the many

Group Creative Director: Josh Paialii   

Associate Creative Director(s): Jacque Vavroch, Amy Matheu

Senior Art Director(s):  Michelle John 

Senior Copywriter(s): Jameson Miller

Group Brand Director: Kylie Wu, John Line 

Brand Director: Maggie Lannon  

Business Affairs: Lucy Campos

Group Strategy Director: Ashleigh Edwards

Associate Strategy Director: Danny Schotthoefer

Community Manager: Genevieve Whitaker

Associate Design Director: Amy Woo 

Designer: Robert Diep

Senior Motion Designer: Chip Carey

Director of Project Management: Svetlana Kornilova

Sr. Project Manager: Christina Orozco

Executive Producer: Chloe Scott

Sr. Producer: Brooke Horne 

Production Company & City: dotdotdash, Portland, OR

Source: The Many’s

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