Cost-cutting during the pandemic pushed garnishes off menus, and it seemed commercial produce buyers and diners alike had forgotten how much a simple twist of lemon can elevate an experience. Meanwhile, lemon inventories continued to swell, driving the need to reignite consumer cravings and remind food-service operators that no citrus delivers quite like a fresh squeeze of lemon.
Working in tandem with Sunkist and leveraging their distribution and sales data, we identified two high-potential test markets, Denver and Cleveland, where distribution was strong, sales had softened, and vibrant foodie cultures made them primed for culinary influence. With markets selected, we set the campaign in motion. Here’s what happened next.
Two Disruptive City Initiations
“See the Sublemonal” — Denver
A tongue‑in‑cheek secret society invited locals to “say yellow to the truth.” Decoder manuals, all‑seeing‑eye merch and a live MLB stunt clued fans toward recipes, restaurant offers and juicy lemon lore.
“Gimme a Wedgie” — Cleveland
We rebranded a humble wedge as the ultimate drink upgrade. Street teams handed out QR‑tagged lemons while angular billboards dared people to order citrus‑forward menu items.
For both campaigns, broadhead:
- Designed visual identities, street-team gear, out of home takeovers and influencer toolkits unique to each market.
- Produced QR-tagged lemons, wedge-shaped signage and a pop-up microsite packed with recipes and operator resources.
- Partnered with restaurants and bars to garner fresh-wedge LTOs.
- Orchestrated paid, earned and owned media to turn local buzz into national chatter.
The Lemon Order
Denver, Colorado
If your diabolical plan was to control the will of an entire city by appealing to their tastebuds, you would do it with lemons. And that is exactly what the Lemon Order set out to do. Focusing our efforts in Denver, the Lemon Order set out on a comprehensive campaign to secure power over the city for the seemingly innocent lemon. In the effort to generate loyalty, compliance and lemon consumption, we blanketed Denver with outdoor boards, social media, restaurant activations, street teams and an ominous appearance by tin-foil hat wearing Lemonati at a Colorado Rockies game. These subversive lemon wielders even handed out actual lemons to the unsuspecting masses replete with a QR code guiding them to a website recruiting them to the Lemon Order.
You Want a Wedgie?
Cleveland, Ohio
Adding a wedge of lemon to your beverage is a quick, shockingly simple way to add a lift to your day. A real zing. A kick in the pants, if you will. Targeting the hotspots in downtown Cleveland, we wanted to make sure everyone remembered to ask for a wedgie. Brand Ambassadors hit the streets with wild postings and handing out actual lemons to get the conversation started. Interactive kiosks gave passersby the opportunity give someone a wedgie right there on the screen. Social media directed people to all the lemony events of Wedgie Weekend. And just like that, Cleveland had a smile on its face.
By squeezing culture, not just fruit, broadhead repositioned the Sunkist lemon from a forgotten garnish to must-have flavor, proving even the simplest produce can refresh brands.
