Panda Express spent November 19th “joy-spotting” on Twitter, identifying people who had shared moments of joy and thanks, to surprise and delight 888 of them with a $20 gift card to Panda Express.
Nearly 6.5 million impressions. The movement took Twitter by storm, yielding impressive engagement levels for the brand in a very short time period of only eight hours. The word of mouth effort which relied on zero paid media dollars resulted in:
- #ShareJoy hashtag trending nationwide
- 389% increase in mentions of the Panda Brand
- 994 retweets, 2,183 replies, and 1,627 favorites
- 24% increase in Panda Express’s following
#ShareJoy was inspired by Panda Express Founders and Co-CEOs Andrew and Peggy Cherng, who joined the Panda team in personally responding to a number of Tweets. As a family-owned company, the Cherngs love the idea that their restaurants bring people together over a shared meal. Influenced by the Cherngs, it has always been an important part of the Panda culture that associates acknowledge both Panda’s guests and one another. #ShareJoy brought that core value to life in a unique and unexpected way.
Responses ranged from heartfelt to humorous, with subjects ranging from spouses and kids to friends and pets, and a few less conventional subjects.
“Having lunch with my 92-year-old grandma brings me joy. She likes your Orange Chicken.”
“I’m thankful for my mother who had the strength to care for me while going through breast cancer. She’s a survivor.”
“I’m thankful for my beard. To keep my chin warm in this weather.”
