Jockey’s Sweet Path to Awareness and Conversion with OpenFortune

Jockey has been covering our behinds (literally) since 1876. As the leader of comfort and support, the company has been responsible for some groundbreaking developments in the world of undies. In 1934, they invented men’s briefs (you’re welcome, gentlemen), and went on to design temperature-regulating underwear and the first bra to fit women by volume.

With ads bombarding people daily, Jockey faced a real head-scratcher: how to catch the eye of consumers who were about as thrilled to see another ad as they were to do their taxes.

What Jockey needed was a real opportunity to stand out, a chance to surprise and delight people when they least expected it. But creating viral moments on social media today is rare and unpredictable.

As Jockey’s VP of Marketing Tom Hutchison put it, “For every Pearl Jam, there’s 10,000 garage bands that never make it.” So how could Jockey cut through the noise without relying on the advertising equivalent of winning the lottery?

When OpenFortune pitched the idea of fortune cookie advertising, Tom was initially skeptical. It seemed gimmicky. But as OpenFortune laid out the sheer density of Chinese restaurants across the U.S., the warm fuzzies people get from cracking open a fortune cookie, and the impressive open, keep, and share rates, Tom’s skepticism started to crumble.

The campaign rollout was smooth. First, they nailed down the objective: boost brand awareness. Then came the fun part—crafting witty and engaging messages while keeping things on brand. The front of the slip featured fortunes focused on comfort and relaxation, with messages like “The comfort you seek is closer than you think.” The back of the slip showcased the Jockey logo and product shots, keeping it contextual and clever.

The first campaign focused purely on brand equity—a playful nod and a wink from Jockey. These didn’t push for sales or promotions but simply aimed to delight customers with a touch of humor.

Chicago was chosen as the primary market, targeting every fortune-seeker within a two-hour radius.

For Jockey, working with OpenFortune was easier than putting on a pair of… well, you know.

And the results were just as remarkable. A whopping 65.6% of consumers had an unaided recall of the brand, proving that Jockey firmly secured a spot in the minds of its target audience. Even more impressively, 23.2% of people were so intrigued they actually Googled to learn more about Jockey.

But the cherry on top of this fortune cookie sundae? Corporate headquarters was flooded with an “avalanche” of emails and texts from friends and family. Out-of-town guests would hop into Ubers or Lyfts, mention their destination, and find themselves chatting with drivers who say they got a fortune cookie with a Jockey ad. Social media also lit up with people sharing their tangible emotion and excitement about their Jockey fortune cookie experiences.

The campaign was a winning combination of surprise, positive vibes, shareability, and tangibility. By thinking outside the box and embracing an unconventional medium, Jockey connected with consumers at their happiest (and hungriest) moments, giving their brand awareness a serious boost.

And this is just the beginning. Impressed by the results, Jockey is doubling down on their partnership with OpenFortune, aiming for a 50-50 split between brand-building and sales-driving campaigns. The plan now includes using fortune cookie advertising to drive foot traffic into their retail partners like Target, Walmart, Macy’s, and Kohl’s.

This expansion allows Jockey to keep building brand equity while also driving sales—proving that sometimes, the best business advice really does come from a fortune cookie.

Connect with OpenFortune, and let’s cook up a campaign that will put your brand at the center of conversations, on the tip of tongues, and all over social media.