The return of the NHL playoffs means the return of the Playoff Beards. As an unofficial brand in a sea of corporate sponsors, Panago Pizza hijacked the conversation by turning a tech launch into a hockey ritual.
When Meta released Llama 3 just 36 hours before puck drop, we transformed Instagram into a digital barbershop, challenging fans to generate the wildest AI facial hair for their teams. Within hours, thousands of unique beards were generated, with hundreds of winners receiving free pizza for the game. We didn’t just join the playoffs; we fueled the fandom.
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.