Ice Cream Machine Broke – Jack in the Box is Here to Help

There are no six words more heartbreaking than “The ice cream machine is broken”. That reward you were going to buy yourself for a long week of work doesn’t exist. All is truly lost. Unless an unexpected hero saves us with an ice cream cone that is available 100% of the time. It is Jack in the Box, armed with unstoppable ice cream machines. 

In a campaign promoting their own ice cream offerings, Jack in the Box launched a takeover of the website McBroken.com. The website is designed to track every McDonald’s in the nation so that sweet tooth enthusiasts can check if their local fast food stop actually has ice cream. For those unfamiliar with the matter, McDonald’s ice cream machines are famous for being broken, to the point where their unreliability has become a favorite joke of the internet. Jack in the Box has customized the site to direct frustrated McDonald’s fans towards the nearest Jack in the Box where they can finally get that ice cream they’re craving.

Brand teasing is a classic tactic. Jack in the Box is using McDonald’s to reach a broader audience. Additionally, the takeover of McBroken.com will likely reach those individuals at a point of frustration with the mega brand, and are more inclined to simply go elsewhere. What do you think of this marketing effort?