Dave's Hot Chicken is opting for dark comedy in its first national TV campaign, featuring the tagline "Don't die before you try it."

The edgy spots launching today were created by Party Land, the agency behind comedic campaigns for the likes of Liquid Death. Party Land, an Ad Age Small Agency of the Year silver award winner in 2021, was appointed by Dave's eight months ago without a pitch.

Two 30-second TV spots revolve around the idea that it would be a shame if someone died before having tried Dave's Hot Chicken (the chicken sandwich chain that was recently named one of Ad Age's Hottest Brands). The commercials feature people mournfully telling the stories of their loved ones’ untimely demises via freak events and lamenting that they’ll never get to try Dave’s. One meets his end via a sunroof mishap, another through a time travel snafu.

Dave's Hot Chicken, founded in a parking lot in Los Angeles' East Hollywood in 2017, until now promoted itself mainly on social media, through Instagram posts and user-generated content on TikTok. The decision to launch a national campaign came after its rapid expansion in recent months. The restaurant chain now has more than 700 franchise locations in the U.S., Canada and even Dubai, and plans to open an additional 25 locations this year.

"As we started to expand, we felt we needed some kind of national campaign to reach all of the different stores that social media can't reach anymore," said Arman Oganesyan, Dave's Hot Chicken founder and chief brand officer.

Dark humor and a deal for Drake's birthday

Dave's opted for dark humor in the ads to appeal to its key fan base of 18-to-34-year-old male chicken sandwich fans, an audience that the brand had already cultivated on social media, according to Matt Heath, founder and chief creative officer at Party Land. "It made sense for us to connect with the kind of audience that loves Dave, and speak to them in a way they haven't really been spoken to," he said.

Heath said the brand also wants to ensure it's memorable in the intensely competitive chicken sandwich market, where the likes of Popeyes, Taco Bell and KFC have all tried different ways to stand out. 

"I feel like it's really hard to watch that campaign and not remember the brand afterwards," said Oganesyan, who added that he is also "ready" for the campaign, featuring freak deaths, to be a little risque. "I used to do comedy and even if there's a joke that might be a little controversial, you have to commit to it and that's what we did here."

The launch of the TV campaign coincides with a social media promotion in honor of Drake, who owns a significant stake in Dave’s Hot Chicken. For his 36th birthday, the star is giving away a free Dave’s Hot Chicken slider or tender, on him. The giveaway is available at all Dave’s Hot Chicken locations nationwide on Oct. 24. To participate, people must visit their nearest Dave’s Hot Chicken and show proof that they follow @daveshotchicken on Instagram or TikTok.

Heath said that the brand had considered having Drake appear in the ads. "We definitely went there in our first round of ideas." However, it opted for the linked social media promotion instead.