Woolworths NZ brings drive-thru convenience home for burgers launch via Dentsu Creative

To support the launch of its new and improved beef burger patty range, Woolworths New Zealand partnered with Dentsu Creative to deliver a limited-time Home Burgers drive-thru activation, reimagining how customers experience supermarket convenience.

We’ve all been there – the drive home after a long day at work or the long weekend, weighing up dinner options and defaulting to takeaway for the sake of speed. Woolworths set out to challenge that mindset by creating a fully-fledged drive-thru experience that made cooking at home feel just as easy.

Complete with all the elements of a true takeaway drive-thru experience, customers could order and collect a Home Burger kit designed to help them recreate restaurant-quality burgers in their own kitchen including a simple recipe card.

The kits showcased Woolworths new and improved 100% NZ grass fed beef burger pattie range. With options including the Smash Burger and the Angus Beef Quarter Pounder, consumers were spoilt for choice with patties and a range of fresh Woolworths Own Brand ingredients, reinforcing the retailer’s role in delivering quality-led value at scale.

Running across three nights from 26–28 January, the trial saw more than 4,500 burgers handed out in the kits, with stock fully exhausted each evening. With word spreading due to strategically placed OOH ad trailers, social and WOM hype, sustained vehicle queues throughout the activation reflected strong demand and engagement, underscoring customer appetite for fast, convenient meal solutions that still deliver on quality and value.

Woolworths NZ Marketing Manager – Fresh & Own Brand, Conrad Webber, says the drive-thru activation provided a practical and engaging way to bring the Home Burgers proposition to life: “The drive-thru format allowed us to take a familiar dining-out behaviour and apply it in a retail setting.

“The response over the three nights showed there’s real demand for food that feels like a treat but still fits into busy summer routines — and that Own Brand can deliver on flavour, quality and convenience.”

Alex Barlow, Head of Talent and Activations at Dentsu Creative, says the focus was on delivering a bold, high-impact execution that made the Home Burgers message instantly clear: “Our role was to take a simple product proof point and bring it to life in a way that cut through.

“By pairing a familiar drive-thru mechanic with a premium, considered build, we were able to communicate convenience, quality and value at scale, without overcomplicating the idea.”

The drive-thru trial formed part of Woolworths’ wider Home Burgers launch strategy, supporting the rollout of the new beef burger patty range. The activation targeted households seeking speed, familiarity and value, while showcasing how Own Brand can credibly compete with takeaway-style burger occasions through a complete, restaurant-inspired meal solution. Alongside the activation, Dentsu Creative supported with broader social and influencer content to extend the reach of the launch outside of Auckland with sales exceeding expectations to date.

Client: Woolworths New Zealand
Head of Brand: Abbe Hale
Senior Marketing Manager & Chapter Lead: Samuel Gujer
Marketing Manager: Conrad Webber
Marketing Manager: Lucy Key
Content Manager & Product Owner: Adele Biggs
Activation & Social Agency: Dentsu Creative 
Build Production: Riot Design

Register for FREE HERE and receive the Campaign Brief Daily Bulletin and/or the global Best Ads Best of the Week Bulletin.              Subscribe to Campaign Brief Magazine.

#More Creative News   #No paywalls   #No annual membership fees

Subscribe to Portfolio & Reel for current listings of Australian and NZ ad agency and production company leadership and key personnel