Every week, food brands swarm Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram with the same recycled “holiday hijack” content—resulting in generic, calendar-filler posts that audiences largely ignore. Little Caesars challenged us to do the opposite: don’t just join another “day,” make one feel like it truly belongs to the brand.
The opportunity was hiding in plain sight. March 15—the Ides of March—was already naturally ownable for Little Caesars: the mascot is literally named Caesar, and every year fans reliably flood social with the same obsession and joke: how is Little Caesar still alive when history (and Shakespeare) say otherwise? Social listening showed a recurring annual spike in Ides of March mentions and comments, signaling a real, fan-driven moment we didn’t need to manufacture.
Our objective was to convert that one-day curiosity into a culturally relevant, attention-grabbing social moment that would entertain, drive meaningful engagement, and strengthen brand affinity—without feeling like another disposable “national day” post. We aimed to authentically participate in the existing conversation, deliver the punchline in a way that felt earned inside internet culture, and position Little Caesars as a brand that listens to fans and shows up with creativity, not clutter.
The core insight was simple: we didn’t need to invent a moment for Little Caesars—our fans already had one. Instead of chasing mainstream “national day” trends, we leaned into a conversation that reliably happens every year around the Ides of March. The creative challenge became: how do we answer a long-running fan question in a way that feels bigger than a meme, native to social, and genuinely entertaining?
Rather than a single post, we staged a full theatrical takeover designed for TikTok and Instagram: “Ides of March: The Musical”—a three-act, social-first musical event inspired by Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and the broader theater zeitgeist. To ensure the work felt fluent and credible within the niche, we partnered with creator and musician Grace Yerchuk, a micro-influencer who had already built a dedicated audience by making 25+ Julius Caesar musical videos. That creator fit let us deliver the joke from inside internet culture, making the brand’s response feel seamless, earned, and aligned with what fans were already asking for.
Execution was built like a premiere, not a hashtag. We packaged the campaign as a serialized content drop:
This structure created anticipation, rewarded repeat viewing, and gave audiences multiple entry points to participate—commenting, sharing, and coming back for the next “act.” The biggest challenge was resisting the easy route (a quick meme) and instead committing to a format with real craft and narrative momentum—while still keeping everything optimized for short-form, social-native consumption.
By treating March 15 like a branded entertainment moment—one only Little Caesars could credibly own—we broke out of “national day” clutter and owned the conversation around a date no other brand can touch.
The campaign met our objectives by turning an existing, fan-driven Ides of March spike into a standout social moment that entertained, sparked conversation, and strengthened brand affinity.
Across TikTok and Instagram, “Ides of March: The Musical” generated:
Most importantly, the work succeeded because it didn’t feel like a forced holiday hijack. It answered a long-running fan question in the exact language of the audience—through a creator who already owned the niche—and elevated a predictable one-day joke into an ownable piece of serialized, social-first entertainment. The result was a culturally relevant moment that cut through, earned positive response, and reinforced Little Caesars as a brand that listens and shows up with originality instead of filler.
