Restaurant chain Arby's wanted people to fully understand the painstakingly dedicated process behind its newest offering, The Smokehouse Brisket sandwich.
Brisket, of course, is famous for requiring a long, slow cook for better taste. And so Arby's decided the best way to get its message across was to show it -- all of it.
And so, on May 24, it broke the record for the longest television commercial ever aired. Since the speciality sandwich is slow smoked for 13 hours, Arby ran its ad for a record-breaking 13 hr 5 min 11 sec. To demonstrate the smoking process in its entirety, Arby's piloted the ad, simply featuring their brisket smoking in a smoker for the full 780 minutes. You can watch the entire thing here, should you have a spare half of a day.
As per the official record guidelines, the spot needed to air on a licensed television channel in a normal broadcast slot. The ad found its home on My9 KBJR-TV in Duluth, Minnesota, USA, airing on May 24-25.
"We are thrilled to have 'smoked' a Guinness World Record," said Rob Lynch, Brand President & Chief Marketing Officer of Arby's Restaurant Group, Inc. "If there was ever a doubt that we actually pit smoke our brisket for 13 hours over real hickory wood, this ad makes it pretty mouth-wateringly clear that we do."
Arby's aired a digital encore to the broadcast at dedicated website 13hourbrisket.com soon after the TV spot, featuring $20,000 in barbecue-themed prize giveaways.
The worldwide debut included a "meat feed" with social commentary from Arby's at various smoking milestones, meat facts, and prize announcements, including thirteen $1,300 cash prizes, smokers, barbecue books and cooking utensils.
The previous record holder was NIVEA, which aired a 60-minute spot on Switzerland's Star TV to celebrate the brand's 100th anniversary in December 2011.
"The decision to make a 13-hour commercial was a step forward in our journey to surprise and delight our guests and fans," Lynch added. "What better way to show meat lovers our unique 13 hours smoking process in all its glory."
There are plenty of records your group or company can attempt, and they don't need to last as long as Arby's 13-hour TV spot. Have an idea? Make sure to contact the Guinness World Records events management team with your organization's details.
