Jack in the Box embraces eSports with animated series featuring Dallas Fuel players
Big-headed Jack, the mascot for the Jack in the Box fast food chain, is now an animated character in a web series in support of an eSports team.
Jack in the Box teams with Dallas Fuel to promote e-sports team
Jack in the Box is maintaining its presence in the rapidly growing eSports industry as the primary sponsor of Dallas Fuel, Team Envy’s official Overwatch League eSports team.
To leverage the burger chain’s position as a sponsor and provide fans with behind-the-scenes access to their favorite players, David&Goliath created ‘Fuel House,’ a six-part animated web series. The series starts with a 90s sitcom-style fish-out-of-water theme, introducing the characters as they deal living in the same house with Jack.
Each episode features specific themes related to the Dallas Fuel team, gaming and pop culture, aimed to relate to fans. One episode sees the players plan an overly ambitious festival on a remote island doomed for failure, another sees them discussing their movie-like superpower ability, while a third features a robot that rises up against its human creators, reminiscent of the omnic crisis from Overwatch. Knowing the one thing that eSports fans want most is access to pro players, David&Goliath made the first four episodes center around specific players from Dallas Fuel.
New episodes drop each Sunday on multiple digital and social platforms like Gamespot, Reddit and Xbox.
It was also timed to coincide with a major event hosted by Dallas Fuel in April. This event was the first Overwatch League stage held outside of its traditional home in Burbank, California. Jack in the Box brought Fuel House to the event with an interactive experience for fans.
“We know the eSports audience isn’t watching TV commercials, we know they expect to be entertained and we know they are proud of the space the eSports community has created,” said Bobby Pearce, chief creative officer of David&Goliath.
“We worked extensively with Dallas Fuel players to understand their personalities, demeanors, likes and dislikes so we could play that back to the fans. This campaign demonstrates a deep understanding of the audience, and positions Jack in the Box as an eSports fan-favorite.”
Added Mike Rufail, founder and chief executive of Dallas Fuel and Envy Gaming: “The Fuel House campaign…sets a new high-water mark for non-endemic eSports campaigns. We’re thrilled that our players are the stars of the show, and that our fans enjoy it more than anyone.”
