jortz90 Wanted the Smoke

A Church’s Texas Chicken superfan turned troll and a limited-time-offer redemption arc.

18%

TikTok engagement rate
100%

Conversion of long-term brand detractor to super fan

At a Glance

Client: Church’s Texas Chicken
Engagement: Influencer, Social Media, Video Production
Focus: Turn a detractor into a super fan

Overview

Most agencies see a troll; we saw a Superfan with a redemption arc waiting to happen. 

We don’t just manage feeds; we fuel them ― We don’t just “monitor” social; we live in it. That’s how we found jortz90.

This wasn’t a “standard” campaign. This was a social sprint fueled by pure grit and creative adrenaline. At the finish was a campaign rooted in community that ignited a movement.

Recognition

Atlanta Ad Club American Advertising Awards, 2026

Gold Addy Social Media (Single Execution)

Atlanta Ad Club American Advertising Awards, 2026

Silver Addy Social Media Campaign

The Goal

Engage the community and drive excitement for the rollout of the LTO Smokehouse Chicken sandwich. All while bringing one negative commentor back into the fold.

The Challenge

Church’s Texas Chicken was bringing back a cult favorite: Smokehouse Chicken. With a following that craves its return, we needed to dial up the exclusivity of this Limited Time Offer (LTO).

Jortz Instagram messages on scraps of paper

For two years, one fan—@jortz90—had been relentlessly trolling the brand, demanding the return of Smokehouse on every single post. Jeremy Ortiz (@jortz90) spent two straight years dragging Church’s Texas Chicken with comments like “Y’all broke my heart”, “Bulls**t. I’ll never eat y’all’s chicken again. Only because you didn’t release the smokehouse this year” and “BOYCOTT CHURCHS for not bringing the smokehouse back.” We didn’t hit “mute.” We hit “record.”

The Solution

Instead of ignoring the “smoke,” we decided to give @jortz90 exactly what he asked for in the most unexpected way possible. We didn’t just bring the Smokehouse back—we brought him into the family.

We surprised jortz90 with a VIP experience fit for a legend, starting with a limo pickup at his front door. Over two days, we immersed him in the brand: he got the very first bite of the returning Smokehouse Chicken, cameoed in the national TV commercial, and even provided the voiceover for the spot.

First Bite

of the returning Smokehouse Chicken
Cameoed

in the national TV commercial

A person dressed in a top hat and white gloves lifts a silver cloche to reveal a box of Church's Chicken to a smiling seated man.

A close-up of an open takeout box filled with Church's Smokehouse Chicken and a biscuit resting on a silver platter.

We gave him the smoke he asked for, and he gave us the most authentic content we’ve ever produced. To celebrate his “dedication,” we rewarded him with Real Rewards loyalty points and printed his most infamous comments on t-shirts worn by the entire production crew.

A smiling man holds up one of the custom printed shirts on a hanger, featuring an all-over pattern of social media comments asking for Church's Smokehouse Chicken.

A man wearing a black cap points to his custom white long-sleeve shirt, which is completely covered in printed social media comments from a fan demanding the return of Church's Smokehouse Chicken.

18%: TikTok engagement rate

The Proof

We proved that when you respect the hustle of your fans, they’ll go ten toes down for the mission.

We captured every moment of this fan-first activation, turning his journey from troll to VIP into high-energy social content designed to light up the feed. We didn’t just “post content” — we ignited a movement. The results speak for themselves:

Launch

Successful LTO launch that leveraged authentic community interaction over traditional advertising.
Social Sentiment

High-volume social sentiment shift as fans rallied around the "jortz90" narrative.
Engagement

In a world of "skip ad," the fans stayed for the whole story with an 18% TikTok engagement rate that outpaces industry benchmarks.

Edgar Snyder & Associates Turned a Brand Reset into Record Growth

When the founder retires and every competitor looks the same, you don’t change the brand. You reimagine it. Then you measure everything.

+22%

Lead volume tied to paid digital
+24%

Auto accident leads form digital channels
+4%

Aided awareness

At a Glance

Client: Edgar Snyder & Associates
Campaign: “In a Perfect World”
Channels: TV, OOH, Social
Focus: Brand Reset & Lead Generation

Overview

It’s a low interest category. With advertising that all looks the same — men in suits.

Personal injury law isn’t exactly a category people seek out. The advertising can feel forgettable: men in suits, recycled taglines, nothing that earns a second look. For decades, Edgar Snyder was the face that cut through the sea of sameness.

Then he retired.

That could’ve created a brand crisis. Instead, it was a creative opportunity. A chance to reimagine what an Edgar Snyder & Associates campaign could look and feel like. One that could reach a younger audience that the traditional approach was never built for.

“In a Perfect World” was born from that opportunity. Animated, unexpected, and impossible to mistake for anything else in the category.

The Goal

Edgar Snyder & Associates needed to do two things at once: protect the brand equity built over decades and rebuild it for a new generation. Awareness had to hold. Leads had to grow. And the creative had to earn attention in a category often ignored.

Brand Continuity

Maintain high awareness
Lead Generation

Drive measurable growth in lead volume
New Audience

Shift from traditional media approach to reach a younger demographic

The Challenge

Every personal injury law firm was running the same playbook. Same look, tone, and execution. Breaking through wasn’t just a creative challenge. It was a strategic one.

Illustration of a car accident. A person is sitting on a guardrail with their head in their hands and another person consoling a child that is holding their arm. Text that says, Find Edgar

An illustration of a person holding a hardhat with their arm in a sling and using a crutch. Text that says, Hurt at Work? Find Edgar

An illustration of a person falling down a set of damaged stairs. Text that says, Find Edgar

An illustration of a motorcycle laying on the ground. Text that says, Find Edgar

And the timing made it harder. Transitioning away from founder-as-face brand risks the equity that made the brand recognizable in the first place. The creative had to feel fresh without feeling foreign.

The Solution

The answer wasn’t to replace the brand’s spokesperson. It was to build a new world entirely. “In a Perfect World” replaced the category’s sea of suits with something no competitor could replicate—highly engaging animation that made Edgar Snyder & Associates unforgettable, relevant, and customer-first.

Animation

A bold creative departure from category norms, build to earn attention
TV & OOH

Anchor executions that established the new brand world at scale

The campaign ran across TV and OOH, with social amplifying the reach and driving direct lead generation where the younger demographic actually lives.

Younger Demo

Cross-channel strategy designed to reach and convert beyond the traditional
+213%

Leads attributed to social media in the first year

The Proof

+4%

Aided Awareness
+3%

Unaided awareness in core market

The reimagined brand held its ground and grew. Awareness metrics moved in both aided and unaided measures, lead volumes climbed across every digital channel, and the “In a Perfect World” creative stood apart in a category that hadn’t see anything like it.

22%

Lead volume tied to paid digital
24%

Auto accident leads from digital channels
72%

Say advertising was unique for the category

I am thrilled with how much we’ve been able to embrace change for the next generation and the next level of success.

Edgar Snyder & Associates

CMO