Outback Steakhouse

The Objective

Fake coupons? Not here!

In 2024, Outback Steakhouse in Brazil identified strong activity by scammers offering fake coupons to its customers across the web. This major scheme using the brand and images of celebrities promised unrealistic benefits, which ended up bringing complaints from customers. But what could have been a complex challenge, turned into an opportunity.

The Australian-themed restaurant chain decided to raise a flag – and put an end to online scams. The idea? To offer a real deal, real vouchers, for customers to redeem at a restaurant for a giant Bloomin’ Onion or a dessert when purchasing an appetizer or main course. The instructions were simple: go to the website, get the coupon and redeem it at a restaurant. That way, no one would need to look for other sources to enjoy an Outback Moment. But how to amplify this innovation and make it reach as many people as possible?

The Solution

On TikTok and Out Of Phone

Outback needed a strategy that not only covered the entire consumer journey, but also spoke to them across different channels. Because yeah, the brand wanted to generate more sales, of course–but it also had to increase awareness and show that it was strong in fighting online scams. So, how about combining the two objectives in the creative? That's where #ContragolpeOutback came from.

Working with the agency Ampfy, Outback developed an omnichannel strategy that was both informative and sales-oriented. Specifically on TikTok, the brand started by calling on the Porta dos Fundos comedy group to work on a couple of humorous videos that simulated a news program. They talked about fake coupons and presented Outback's solution: those real, genuine coupons we mentioned before, that could be redeemed at the restaurant for a giant onion or desserts.

Um time de creators também foi recrutado pela marca pra fazer seus próprios conteúdos contando da novidade aqui na plataforma. O grupo tinha nomes como @coisasdemarcela, @ojohnnyklein, @leofurnalettob e @vinidalpino, todos convocados por meio do TikTok Creative Exchange, o TTCX, que conecta anunciantes a parceiros criativos. E os vídeos, por sua vez, traziam um Branded Effect desenvolvido pra campanha – um efeito que adicionava um GC de telejornal na tela.

A squad of creators was also recruited by the brand to create their own content sharing the news on TikTok. The group included names such as @coisasdemarcela, @ojohnnyklein, @leofurnalettob and @vinidalpino, all recruited through TikTok Creative Exchange (TTCX), which connects advertisers with creative partners. The videos by the creators featured a Branded Effect developed for the campaign, that added a newscast GC to the screen.

This mix of the comedy group's and creators' content was first promoted as TopView ads, inviting the entire TikTok community to be part of a larger movement: a Branded Mission. The mission challenged users to create videos telling funny scams they had to deal in their lives, using the filter and hashtag #ContragolpeOutback in their posts, helping to spread the message of the coupons and increase awareness.

But this communication strategy didn't stop here at TikTok. Outback was the first brand in Latin America to invest heavily in a new advertising solution on the platform: Out of Phone, which integrates our app with out-of-home (OOH) formats. With Out of Phone, the brand was able to take the content to the streets of Brazil, in spaces owned by our partner Eletromídia, spreading the message beyond smartphones.

There were billboards in shopping malls, bus stops, bike and subway stations, among other places, showing videos made by the community for the Branded Mission. Yes, more than just a boost on TikTok itself, the best content sent by users in the mission also ended up being shown offline. All of that to encourage more people to join the campaign and visit the brand's website to redeem coupons.

The Results

What a counterattack!

The #ContragolpeOutback strategy was a success on TikTok and beyond. According to the brand, visits to its restaurants increased by 12% during the campaign period compared to the previous month, and more than 115k coupons were generated from website visits coming from our platform or OOH – adding to the more than 700k vouchers issued throughout the campaign, 27% of which were redeemed at Outback restaurants.

This was the result of a lot of engagement and visibility on TikTok. To start, over 500 videos were submitted to Branded Mission, with 45 of them receiving a media boost and surpassing 60M views. The Branded Effect was also a hit, with over 2.2M interactions.

The mission, together with the content from creators and Porta dos Fundos, was enough to boost brand building, bringing an incremental lift of 5.1 points in ad recall.

A integração com o OOH feita com o Out of Phone também trouxe sua própria leva de resultados. Foram entregues 38% mais impressões do que o projetado no início da campanha, o que se refletiu em aumentos incrementais acima do benchmark em interesse, visão positiva e consideração pela marca, segundo o estudo de Brand Lift conduzido em parceria com a Dive, parceira criativa global do TikTok. Foram:

The OOH integration done via Out of Phone also brought its own set of results: the campaign delivered 38% more impressions than projected, which resulted in incremental, above-benchmark lifts in interest, positive brand association and brand consideration–that according to the Brand Lift study conducted in partnership with Dive, TikTok's global creative partner. The results were:

• +36pts incremental lift in Interest

• +28pts incremental lift in Brand Image

• +22pts incremental lift in Consideration

O Outback ainda conduziu um estudo de Brand Lift com nossos parceiros da Eletromídia, mais focados nos painéis de OOH. Segundo a pesquisa, as ativações no offline ficaram na memória de quem viu, e também ajudaram a mover os ponteiros de preferência e intenção:

Outback also conducted a Brand Lift study with our partners at Eletromídia, focusing more on OOH panels. According to the research, offline activations stuck with people who saw them, which helped to move the pointers of preference and intention:

• +14pts incremental lift in comms recall

• +6pts incremental lift in brand appreciation

• +6pts incremental lift in intent to visit Outback in the next opportunity

More than that, the study also showed that 75% of respondents are interested or very interested in the combination of both media (OOH and TikTok) together in a campaign. Talk about synergy, huh? How about testing Out of Phone with your brand too?