The encyclopedia · Marketing & Brand · Marketing decision · 2025
KUDU made its sandwich an esports perk and sold 1.5 million meals in two weeks
Saudi chain KUDU tied a meal to Team Falcons in-game perks; the Super Sub sold 1.5M units in two weeks.
KUDU
The solution
KUDU, a 37-year-old Saudi fast-food chain with more than 370 restaurants, needed a younger customer base. Its core buyers were families, while Saudi gamers aged 21 to 35 ordered food through apps and spent their attention inside esports. A conventional advertising campaign would have competed for attention KUDU did not have.
Working with VML Riyadh, KUDU partnered with Team Falcons, Saudi Arabia's leading esports organisation. The Super Sub meal was tied to in-game perks, and the KUDU app gamified the purchase itself, turning every order into a quest with rewards. Interactive Falcons Nest events and influencer content carried the idea into the gaming community.
By borrowing the reward mechanics of games, KUDU made buying a sandwich feel like levelling up. The campaign sold 1.5 million Super Sub meals in two weeks, reached more than 17 million gamers and generated over 113 million media impressions.
The idea stuck beyond the launch: KUDU continued the partnership with Falcon Box 2.0 and 2.2 meals, and digital channels now account for 45% of the chain's orders. The work took Dubai Lynx 2025 Golds in Gaming-Led Brand Experience and Creative Commerce.
Why it worked
- Team Falcons lends credibility an ad buy cannot rent: the partnership is native to the audience's world.
- Tying perks to a meal turns a commodity purchase into a collectable reward, lifting order value and frequency.
- App quest mechanics keep customers inside KUDU's own channel, building first-party data and repeat orders.
- Falcons Nest events made the campaign physical, extending the game into malls where gamers already gather.
What can be applied
To reach an audience living inside a game, put the product inside the game's reward loop instead of interrupting play with ads — the meal becomes content, not a commercial.
Aftermath
The Super Sub sold 1.5 million meals in two weeks, reached 17 million gamers and generated 113 million media impressions. KUDU kept the Falcons partnership running with Falcon Box 2.0 and 2.2 meals, and won Dubai Lynx 2025 Golds in Gaming-Led Brand Experience and Creative Commerce.
Sources
- Fast-food CEOs embrace IT to keep pace with digital-savvy diners
- Saudi-based fast food chain Kudu unveils new Falcons Box 2.0 meal
- The Super Sub — Dubai Lynx campaign
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