Smash the Haters

Creative collaboration studio DOMO premieres its latest hidden camera-style brand collaboration with Jack in the Box and TBWA\Chiat\Day. The films, directed by Jonathan Klein, see staunch fast-food dissenters change their opinions in real-time after tasting Jack in the Box’s unique take on the smash burger: The Smashed Jack.

Nearly two years in the making, the Smashed Jack is a quarter-pound patty with crisp smash burger-style edges, thick slices of pickle, grilled onion, and Jack in the Box “Boss Sauce.” The campaign launching the game-changing burger features real Jack in the Box skeptics stunningly lavishing the Smashed Jack with rave reviews. Filmed as a fake study under the guise of marketing research, Klein captured the participants’ natural reactions to the Smashed Jack. The self-professed Jack in the Box Haters are then surprised when Jack Box reveals himself as the mastermind behind the experiment, resulting in an eruption of laughter and joy.

In collaboration with TBWA\Chiat\Day, DOMO selected the on-camera talent from a pool of 16,000 applicants and strategically distilled them into thirty tasters through numerous interviews and questionnaires. As a result, they captured the furthest end of the burger-loving/Jack in the Box-hating spectrum as the on-camera tasters experience an in-the-moment change of heart due to this truly exceptional burger. DOMO facilitated and oversaw all project management, post and finishing services, original music exploration, direction, and casting of the tasters.

Klein thoughtfully framed each taster with a bit more headspace than usual to allow for graphics and leave room for new ideas to take shape. Klein says, “Satisfying someone’s taste buds is a sweet and savory experience. Try it the next time you cook for someone or take them to a Jack in the Box. No casting director necessary.”