To promote its ghost pepper ranch sandwich, Wendy’s harnessed some of its own spooky spirit.

The QSR’s “Don’t Be Afraid” campaign, launched with creative partner McCann Canada, challenged Canadians who might be scared of spice with a simple prompt: what is scarier than spice?

Across various channels, Wendy’s offered a few suggestions of its own, ranging from the “witching hour” (in folklore, the period from 3 to 4 a.m. in which paranormal happenings are more common), Ouija boards (via its own branded “We’ja board”) and National Paranormal Day (May 3, which the campaign’s launch was timed around).

On social, Wendy’s took the concept further by offering promotions during the “witching hour” for any users who happened to be awake, to be redeemed via its app and rewards programs. On National Paranormal Day, users were also invited to share their scary stories for a chance to win one of the aforementioned branded Ouija boards, selected by the board itself.

“Ghost pepper” is a name synonymous with being very spicy – even outside of those who might know that it was once ranked as the hottest pepper in the world, the name implies something that might be too spicy to handle. Bill Schaefer, creative director at McCann Canada, says the strategy of the campaign was to show customers that the spicy sandwich was nothing to be afraid of.

Further, connecting to cultural events in relevant ways “helps Wendy’s stand out in a category overflowing with limited time only product offers and deals,” adds Liam Brown, McCann’s strategy director.

The campaign has rolled out across TV, digital, mobile and social and will run until May 28. Initiative handled media, while Performance Solutions and Boom Imaging designed and printed the “We’ja boards.”