The Habit Burger Grill's wacky ads feature a plastic horse, seagulls and 'Jeremy the tomato'

A new campaign from the Yum Brands-owned burger chain Habit Burger Grill is aiming to differentiate the brand from its big budget fast food rivals with some offbeat humor, in its first national brand campaign.

Created via Party Land, its new agency of record (and the shop behind some wacky campaigns for the likes of Liquid Death), the campaign is the 330 outlet Californian brand's largest push since it was acquired by Yum Brands in 2020.

It consists of a series of quirky spots directed by Cody Osborne of The Goondocks. In one, a farmer on a tractor approaches a customer and asks her if she likes "Jeremy Junior," his homegrown tomato that's sitting on her burger.

Another spot features a plastic horse called Chris, and there's also one with some pesky (except they're not) seagulls. All conclude with the tagline "There you hab it."

The campaign, which also includes digital outdoor, digital display, and social ads, is aimed at underlining the brand's Southern Californian laid-back roots as well as its cult status as a fast-growing regional brand.

“The Habit is a brand that’s laid back and doesn’t take itself too seriously but also doesn’t mess around when it comes to chargrilled meat and flavor," said Natalia Fredericks, creative director at Party Land, in a statement. "We leaned into offbeat comedy to appeal to their cult-like fans and get the uninitiated to pay attention, then we put the product front and center in a visual world that nods back to their beach town vibes."

“Party Land has helped us bring together our passion for better burgers and our pride of being from Santa Barbara into a unique platform for distinctive messaging,” added Ken Chan, head of digital and storytelling, The Habit Burger Grill. “It’s not easy to blend a sense of place, product and humor in the right way and they found a great recipe.”