Zaxby’s Revives Some Outdated Trends to Celebrate the Return of the Zensation

Zaxby's, the rapidly growing fast casual restaurant, is bringing back (for a limited time only) fan favorite the Zensation zalad and introducing the new Zensation fillet sandwich in its newest campaign created by the brand’s AOR Tombras. 

The campaign includes tongue-in-cheek TV spots as part of an integrated multi-channel approach which includes digital and social. The spots will air nationally starting on August 5th for 14 weeks focused heavily around sports broadcasting.

The Zensation zalad is a cult classic amongst Zaxby fans around the country and is not a regular menu item. Fans routinely ask Zaxby’s when they can expect the salad will make it back on the menu. This became the central theme of the creative work.

In the spots, the main character runs to their friends shouting “It’s back!” which sparks a fun sequence of friends interpreting their version of what is back-- shoulder pads, denim-on-denim wear, rollerblades, and frosted hair tips. Flash forward to the friend explaining Zensation zalad is back and everyone runs out with excitement. 

Dooley Tombras, president, Tombras, said: “The Zensation zalad has an incredibly devoted fan base and we wanted to acknowledge that following in a fun and memorable way. This campaign shows the saucy side of Zaxby’s personality.” 

“It’s been a lot of fun to bring to life the excitement we see every year around the return of the Zensation zalad,” said Zaxby's CMO, Joel Bulger. “And this year we have taken a fan favorite and created a new sandwich that we hope our fans will love.”