If you're a marketing leader, you’re probably familiar with the pitfalls of traditional OOH marketing. Billboards, bus stop ads, subway posters—they’re big, they’re bold, but they’re also a gamble.
You can’t control who sees them, you’re competing for attention, and you’re lucky if a fraction of people actually remember your message.
But what if there was a way to deliver your brand message right into the hands of your ideal audience?
Enter fortune cookie advertising: a clever, hyper-targeted approach with no shouting or distractions. Just a personalized on-brand message waiting to surprise and delight a hungry diner.
We’re not yelling at anyone who will listen. We’re going stealth mode, delivering personalized, targeted ads to your target audience who is already tuned in—right at the table, enjoying a nice meal.
But here’s the kicker. Unlike those traditional OOH ads, we can damn near make sure your message lands exactly where you want it: in the hands of your future customers.
Precision Targeting: How We Get Fortune Cookies in the Right Hands
Most traditional OOH ads are like shouting through a megaphone to anyone within earshot.
Sure, you can choose the location, but you have zero control over who’s actually seeing it. Only about 20% of people will even pay attention.
You’re broadcasting to everyone: soccer moms, students, commuters... even that guy angrily honking in traffic.
But fortune cookies? They’re intimate. They’re subtle. They have a 92% open rate. Plus they’re going directly into the hands of someone already in a decision-making mood and 19% of those people are more likely to actually act on what they see.
And with over 47,000 restaurants in our network across the U.S., you can bet we’re hitting the spots that matter.
Need to target a specific zip code or keep your ads within a mile of your top-performing locations? Easy. We’ll place your message right where it matters most—whether that's in the heart of a busy downtown area, nestled in a suburban neighborhood, or even near that popular lunch spot your ideal customer persona frequents.
We can drill down to details like location, household income, age, education level, race, and more – way beyond your standard OOH targeting.
Here’s how…
Credit Card Processing Partnerships: We’ve partnered with 7 of the largest credit card processors, giving us a clear view of spending behavior at these restaurants. No personal details, just actionable insights on who’s swiping and spending.
Distributor Partners: With over 100 distributor partners, we get a constant feed of insider info about the restaurants in their network. Who’s dining where? We know.
Yelp Data: You’ve probably used Yelp to figure out where to eat, but we use it to figure out exactly where your brand should be advertised. We target based on restaurant type (from casual to fine dining), whether they allow smoking, price points, and much more. Billboards just wish they had this level of precision.
Strategic Placement
Think about targeting diners at Philippe Chow, the kind of place where the Peking duck may be more famous than most actors. These are people who order the extra appetizer just because they can. They’ve already chosen an upscale experience. And your brand? It’s just the cherry on top of their already indulgent evening. Fortune cookie advertising at luxury venues like this means putting your message directly into the hands of customers who are primed to spend—customers who are more likely to think, “I deserve this.”
And don't forget the college crowd. Imagine popping up in those trendy eateries on campus, where students are always looking for a quick bite (and maybe a new streaming service to blow off studying).
The result? Exceptionally high unaided brand recall. While traditional TV ads only achieve around 10% recall, fortune cookies stick with 63% of people long after the meal is over.
Our Cookies in Action
Aerie
Aerie wanted to make some noise around their holiday collection while getting people into their stores for a free pair of undies. Smart move, right? They targeted young women, aged 12-25, within a 5-mile radius of their LA stores by distributing 277,250 fortune cookies at nearby restaurants. Each cookie contained a fortune that offered a freebie if they brought it in.
The results? 74% unaided recall, 16% searched the brand, and 21% were more likely to recommend Aerie. Hundreds of people took the slip into the store and walked out with their free underwear.
Smart right?
Staples
Staples was out to show off their 14 brand-new, reimagined stores in Atlanta. We’re talking sleek redesigns and five new services like TSA PreCheck—because who doesn’t love skipping lines?
Targeting people aged 25-55 earning $125k+ within 3 miles of the stores, Staples distributed fortune cookies in local restaurants with clever fortunes highlighting these new offerings. The results were as sharp as their new stores: 63% unaided brand recall and 33% of people started talking about the services.
Waymo
Waymo wanted people to know about their self-driving cars—without the whole “shouting from the rooftops” thing. So, they targeted high-income tech professionals aged 25-50, earning $90k+ in San Francisco, with fortunes dropped right into their lunch breaks. Cookies were placed at restaurants near major tech hubs, so when those professionals walked to lunch, Waymo was there to suggest they take a ride back instead.
The result? Awareness up, app downloads increased, and a seamless Waymo self-driving experience.
Cracking Open the Ads of the Future
So, here’s the deal: With fortune cookie advertising you’re not casting a wide net, you’re casting a very specific, very intentional fishing line. Whether you’re targeting smokers aged 18-35 in downtown LA, young families in the suburbs, or health-conscious diners in upscale neighborhoods, fortune cookies provide the kind of hyper-targeting most marketers can only dream about.
Ready to make your next campaign as memorable as that last fortune you kept in your wallet?
Book a call with us. Let’s get your brand baked into the conversation (literally.)
