Marketing execs are tasked daily with the constant uphill battle of finding new ways to put their product in front of customers—against every other brand trying to do the same exact things.
They rely on traditional tactics that provide decent outcomes, but those who are willing to take a creative risk, find the results so much sweeter.
Jockey’s VP of Marketing (and happy OpenFortune client!), Tom Hutchison, is one of those bold thinkers.
We sat down with Tom to discuss how Jockey has found sweet success with fortune cookie advertising and how OpenFortune has become a full-funnel staple of the apparel giant’s OOH marketing mix.
From Skeptic to Believer
When Tom first encountered the idea of advertising through fortune cookies, he was (as most marketing leaders are) skeptical.
"I had the same experience that I think every single person I've briefed had, which was sort of stupefied and like didn't understand it and thought it was a silly tactic, thought it was like a gimmicky thing.” Hutchison shared.
It’s not every day you think about slipping brand messages inside fortune cookies, but as Tom dug deeper, he realized the potential was undeniable.
"The statistics on the open rates, retention rates—how many people keep fortune cookies on their fridge, in their wallet, or cell phone case—and the share rates tell a compelling story, he said.”
The idea of creating a unique moment of connection to surprise and delight a potential customer while they're in a positive emotional state struck a chord.
“By the end of the conversation, I was like, ‘Oh my god, we’ve got to try this.’”
Winning Over the Execs
Launching a quirky new ad campaign always comes with some risk. Tom described the internal balancing act of getting his boss on board, acknowledging that "there's political risk in doing this."
At first, only his boss had the full details and approved, but they decided not to share the entire plan with the rest of the executive leadership team right away.
“You can’t tell everybody on the leadership team upfront," Tom explained. "People hear bits and pieces, and you have to manage their initial reactions based on incomplete information."
Once they decided on Chicago as the focus market—where everything within two hours of the city would get served fortune cookies—Tom knew it was time to bring the rest of the leadership in.
“As soon as we figured out Chicago was the market, I briefed the C-suite in a staff meeting to make sure they understood the full scope.”
From there, the cookies took care of the rest. The first tangible moment of success came when the team’s inboxes were flooded with photos of fortunes from friends and family.
Jockey had guests coming in from out of town, and when they’d ride in Ubers, they'd mention where they were going. The drivers would respond excitedly, ‘Oh my God, I just got this in a fortune cookie!’”
The enthusiasm from both internal teams and outside responses made it clear they were onto something big.
Importance of Creativity, Wittiness, and Messaging
Creativity was non-negotiable for Jockey. Fortune cookies come with certain expectations, mainly being a small piece of paper with an oddly inspiring or humorous fortune. Jockey wanted to honor that vibe while also slipping in their own witty brand voice.
“You’ve got to be sensitive to the moment,” Hutchison explained. “People are either at home or in a restaurant, they’ve just finished their meal, and they’re expecting a fortune, not an ad. So to make sure it’s not a buzzkill, you need to bring wit and humor to the table. Luckily for us, we’re an underwear company, so... there’s plenty of room for humor there.”
Their approach wasn’t just about selling a product but giving a playful nod and a wink that resonated with Jockey’s image of comfort and humor. And that they did.
Breaking Through Advertising Clutter
What makes fortune cookie advertising special? Tom boiled it down to one thing: emotional timing.
“Consumers are in a good mood,” he explained. “They’ve just finished a meal, and they’re excited to open their fortune cookie.”
And unlike TV or radio ads, which often interrupt a show or song people are enjoying, fortune cookie advertising doesn’t feel like an intrusion.
“With traditional ads, you're immediately trying to overcome a negative because you’re interrupting something people actually want to be doing,” Tom said. “But with OpenFortune, there's no interruption—people are excited to open that cookie. It’s a little surprise of delight.”
Nod, Wink, Convert
The balance between playful branding and direct conversion is critical. Tom noted that Jockey’s campaign wasn’t designed initially to push for immediate sales. Instead, they focused on brand equity. "We went for the nod and wink — not pushing promotions but delighting customers with humor."
And roll in they did. The campaign didn’t just get eyeballs; it got people talking. Jockey’s unaided recall rate hit a solid 65.6%, and 23.2% of folks actually Googled the brand after cracking open their fortune cookie. Not bad for a piece of paper baked inside a dessert.
“When you finally listen to the full brief, you know it's going to work. If you're aiming for inequity and awareness and generating excitement with consumers, you just know that's going to work,” he said.
And work it did. The campaign didn’t just get eyeballs; it got people talking. Jockey’s unaided recall rate hit a solid 65.6%, and 23.2% of folks actually Googled the brand after cracking open their fortune cookie.
Not bad for a piece of paper baked inside a dessert.
“We’re seeing great results in terms of conversion,” Tom said. “Traffic driving was significantly higher than expected based on the benchmarks you provided, and the conversion rates are really high.”
From Fun to Full-Funnel
What started as a quirky experiment to boost brand equity is now evolving into a full-funnel marketing strategy. After successfully driving awareness and engagement with their initial fortune cookie campaign, Jockey is expanding the concept to hit every stage of the customer journey—from that first bite of curiosity all the way to conversion.
“I like the idea of doing two campaign sets. One that is equity-driving—just surprise and delight, a nod and a wink from the brand. Don’t try to push them to your website, don’t talk about promos. Just interrupt their day and tell them you love them in some funny way. That’s it. Then, pair it with a second campaign where you can track sales-driving and promotions.”
By running a mix of these campaigns, Jockey ensures consumers get both the fun, lighthearted message and a follow-up that drives results.
With 2.7 diners being the average party size at restaurants, Jockey’s 50/50 split between equity and promotional messages ensures that most diners are getting both the brand-building moment and the promotional push.
“The next phase is figuring out how we use this to drive people into our retail partners—whether that's Target, Walmart, Macy’s, or Kohl’s,” Tom explained.
And with a country as large as the U.S., the opportunity to scale and optimize their fortune cookie advertising is wide open. “There are a lot of fortune cookies to be had,” Tom added. “We’re not even close to reaching the density we could as we continue to develop this strategy.”
We agree Tom, we agree.
