The retailer is hoping to kick up purchases for its new low-calorie burger through the campaign, which is targeting those who have not yet completed exchanging gifts for the holiday season. Red Robin is attempting to entice younger customers even more by donating a portion of the sales to the project DUDE be nice.

“Using mobile egifts is a smart strategy for the Wedgie campaign that is targeted at younger consumers,” said David Naumann, director of marketing at Boston Retail Partners. “For younger demographics, their smartphone is an integral part of everything they do.

“The mobile delivery of the Wedge egift reinforces the fun spirit of the campaign and will make the gift more cool,” he said.

Filling up on sales
Red Robin’s new Wedgie burger campaign is catering to a younger consumer who is health conscious and interested in helping others. The call-to-action is prompting users to purchase Red Robin gift cards online, which can be sent to friends or family through mobile or digital platforms.

A portion of the proceeds from the egfit cards will go to the DUDE be nice project, an apparel company working to give thanks in small communities around the US. The organization focuses on celebrating deserving individuals of the public in unique and interesting ways.

The Wedgie burger is an attempt to bring in customers with nutrition on their minds, who often avoid chain restaurants such as Red Robin. The product is 450 calories and features lettuce instead of carb-filled buns.

The launch of the burger coincides with the New Year, a time during which many consumers are focusing on minding their health. The promotion is running from now until Feb 7, 2016.

Gift cards on mobile
Two separate reports point to significant gains in egift card adoption in the past year, driven in part by the growing sophistication of mobile use, including mobile wallets (see more).

Samsung Pay also rolled out a new gift card store enabling users to purchase digital cards from popular merchants within the application and furthering the solution’s goal of dethroning competition in the mobile payments space as holiday sales heat up (see more).

“Some young people take pride in the fact that they do not carry any cash and rely on their phones for everything, including payments,” Mr. Naumann said. “The mobile nature of the Wedgie campaign, as well as the clever play on words with the childhood prank, will increase awareness and perception of Red Robin as a hip brand and drive sales among younger audiences.

“It will be interesting to see if Red Robin receives any backlash from from the promotion, as the increased awareness of the prank might tempt some kids to participate in an unkind act that contradicts the principles that the campaign supports, DUDE. Be Nice Project,” he said.

Final take
Brielle Jaekel is editorial assistant at Mobile Commerce Daily