The return of the NHL playoffs means the return of the Playoff Beards. A wacky tradition where players stop shaving on the long road to the Stanley Cup.
So when Meta launched their Llama3 A.I. assistant just 36 hours before the start of the 2024 Playoffs, Panago Pizza raced to create a first-of-its-kind Instagram campaign. On game days, we asked hockey fanatics to generate their wildest A.I. “Playoff Beards” in support of their favourite Canadian team. The best beards won free pizza in time for puck drop.
We spent $0 on traditional media, creating just a few social posts for each playoff round.
Beards and engagement grew quickly.
Despite all of the PLaiOFF BEARD love, the Edmonton Oilers’ playoff journey came to a heartbreaking end in the Stanley Cup Finals. But on the bright side, 500 AI beard growers got to savour a little taste of victory.
And as it turns out, beards weren’t the only thing generated over our two month promotion. Pizza sales also spiked an average of 23% on game days.