Mucho Burrito is bringing back a popular LTO Ghost Pepper menu item and, as befits the name, is linking it to Halloween.

“The campaign leans into the spooky fall season with playful ‘sorry for ghosting you’ messaging and encourages consumers to ‘rekindle the flame’ during the colder season with the return of the Ghost Pepper Burrito,” says Anita Dewan, marketing manager for Mucho Burrito.

Creative, also on its website, includes posters for a mock movie rated “S” for “severe spice,” complete with a pull-quote review and a five-star rating from critic “Pete Pepperson.”

Mucho Burrito aims to stand out in a competitive food category by providing guests with product innovations, says Dewan, and the goal is to drive increased visits among existing users and draw new users to the brand.

The Mexican QSR boasts that its Original Ghost Pepper Burrito, launched in 2012, was among the first restaurants in North America to feature the now ubiquitous pepper on its menu. The burrito will cater to different levels of spice tolerance with a “wimpy” version and an extra spicy, “hotter than hell” version.

The return of the Ghost Pepper Burrito is an integrated communications campaign.

Campaign tactics included earned media, with sponsored content and a paid influencer component. Mucho Burrito also selected 30 brand fans who have been lobbying for the Ghost Pepper Burrito’s return for years and, ahead of the launch, gifted them freebies. Lastly, the company put out mailers, compiling a “survival kit” with the essentials to help ride out the Ghost Pepper heat, complete with a ‘how-to’ guide on how to handle the spice.

“Our target audience for this campaign are flavour lovers and spice seekers of any age – as well as longtime fans of the product,” Dewan says, telling strategy that influencers trying new dishes is a compelling format on social media and spicy foods are ideal for generating fun reactions.

The campaign was driven by research that revealed sauce consumption increased by 5% in Canada in 2022 and over 25% since 2018, with most of the growth coming from hot sauces.

The Ghost Pepper Burrito follows the return of another LTO, the Queso Double-Up, which the brand featured this summer.

North Strategic is providing digital, social, influencer and PR support. Arrivals and Departures had the creative idea, Cairns ONeil handled media and Armstrong Partnership did the digital execution.