Lee Kum Kee: Your Main Squeeze

Lee Kum Kee, a global leader in Asian sauces, wanted to increase brand awareness in the US. We created a gateway for consumers to discover and fall in love with the brand through its sriracha.

Our campaign positioned Lee Kum Kee as a lifestyle brand and increased CLV by targeting a younger audience beyond traditional foodies and recipe bloggers.

I crafted the messaging framework, voice, and verbal design that transformed Lee Kum Kee from an unfamiliar condiment brand into a must-have for Gen Z-ers and Millenials. I also served as copy lead across video, social, paid ads, billboards, wildpostings, digital displays, and subway ads.

We crafted a strategy that resonated with Gen Z through their preferred channels — across social platforms and in their music. This meant going beyond traditional influencer marketing to create culture-driven content that established Lee Kum Kee as both a pantry staple and a badge of cultural relevance.

We assembled a diverse roster of rising stars across music and digital culture, each bringing their unique flavor to the brand.

Genre-bending rapper ericdoa launched a groundbreaking two-week, 24/7 “Locked In” livestream, where fans watched him create an entire album in real-time with Lee Kum Kee by his side. Then, we really started cooking:

• Rising stars Hayd and Alex Porat took Lee Kum Kee on tour, creating authentic content to show how sriracha fuels artists on the road

• The Box Boys, underground hip-hop festival organizers, launched a fresh interview series featuring emerging artists like Khalil and Emwell — and Lee Kum Kee

• In “Industry Plants,” Orlandito put his homemade sauce against Lee Kum Kee’s signature Sriracha in an ultimate taste test with multi-talented artist Skaiwater

• A curated Spotify playlist by acclaimed songwriter Nate Cyphert that gave the brand its own soundtrack

• Culinary creators who brought serious heat, including “Next Level Chef” champion Gabi Chappel and “Hell’s Kitchen” vets Leigh Orleans and Emily Hersh

We also produced limited-run Lee Kum Kee streetwear and launched a giveaway contest to drive engagement and capture first-party data. And, to turn up the heat, we developed custom merch kits for influencers to amplify the campaign on TikTok and Instagram.

Your Main Squeeze helped a legacy brand tap into a hot new audience, driving online sales, recognition, and engagement:

• 1.05B total campaign impressions

• 167M+ OOH impressions

• $1.51 OOH CPM

• 110K+ monthly microsite users

• 20K+ monthly product locator searches