In today’s cluttered marketplace, how do you cut through the noise when you’re third or fourth to market with a “new” product? Engage your fans to make noise for you! In today’s cluttered marketplace, how do you cut through the noise when you’re third or fourth to market with a “new” product? Engage your fans to make noise for you! That’s what Chick-fil-A did when launching their new Spicy Chicken Sandwich in June.

Timed perfectly to spice things up at the outset of summer, the Spicy Chicken Sandwich was the first new sandwich for the national quick service chain in 20 years. It was just what customers were asking for, and they weren’t afraid to shout it from the rooftops. In a matter of mere weeks, the sandwich chatter generated from seeded posts on Facebook, Twitter, traditional PR and blogger outreach rose from a dull roar to a blaring shout. Sure, there were a few TV ads, but with a special, web-based invitation only Premiere Week as the hook, the news about Spicy spread like wildfire among friends and acquaintances in the blogosphere. In fact, more than 1.2 million people redeemed their reservation for a free sandwich within a six day span.

Just three weeks in, more than four million sandwiches have been sold. The secret to this success story? Keeping it local. By allowing local store operators to extend invitations to their best customers (and brand champions) to try the sandwich first, Chick-fil-A used the best tool in the marketing playbook – keep your current customers happy and they will tell everyone else about you.