A Northwest icon
In the Pacific Northwest, there are fast-food chains, and then there’s Burgerville. With grass-fed burgers, fresh Marionberry milkshakes, and seasonal items like Yakima Valley fried asparagus, they’ve inspired a kind of regional pride that’s usually reserved for sports teams.
Founded in Vancouver, Washington in 1961, Burgerville has always been different, largely because they’ve leaned hard into place: Tillamook cheese, Walla Walla onions, Oregon strawberries that appear for a few glorious weeks and then vanish like a seasonal celebrity. For generations in Oregon and Washington, the brand became shorthand for something rare in fast food: a local institution.
That localness didn’t just shape the menu, it shaped the voice. Burgerville advertising has historically had a personality that feels unmistakably Pacific Northwestern—earnest, a little quirky, deeply proud of the farmers behind the ingredients, and comfortable winking at itself. Many in the Northwest remember the billboards that ran years ago on Oregon highways.
Burgerville’s classic billboard
A new chapter; a new campaign
Now the company is entering a new chapter, with new locations opening across Oregon and Washington, which is why they approached us at Fish last summer. Being a NW institution is great, but when you’re entering new markets, it can almost feel like a disadvantage, since your long-term brand story is less important than what you can do for potential customers today.
Because of this expansion into new markets, they came to us seeking their first brand campaign in many years. We dove deep into their brand and decided to focus on their borderline obsession with serving local, farm-fresh food.
We used the phrase “Farm-to-drive-thru” to highlight their USP in the fast-serve space and created a multi-channel campaign including traditional TV, OTT, digital display, billboards, paid social, radio, in-restaurant posters, and digital boards.
:30 Radio Spot
In all the iterations, we worked hard to channel that classic Burgerville voice, while at the same time working within their current brand look and feel—bright colors, happy customers, and always a strong focus on their biggest differentiator: absolutely delicious, locally-sourced food.
Because the TV spots were created using photo animation instead of live action, we were able to capture poster and digital images at the same time we captured TV/OTT imagery, allowing for significant economies of scale over the whole campaign.
Additionally, because we were able to book a photographer they’d been working with for years, it was easy to keep the same visual style in place, especially when it came to product photography. A juicy, mouth-watering burger that takes up an entire billboard from top to bottom? Check.
We were thrilled to work with Burgerville, and not just for the free shakes (although we’d be lying if we said there weren’t some free shakes involved). It’s always a joy to work with a company with sustainable business practices, a strong mission and values, and a product that people are wild for.
If you’re in need of a new campaign for your brand, give Nate Parr a call at 503-380-1700 or email him.