Mike’s Hot Honey Is an Enduring Love Letter to Fans

Just when you think you’ve tried it all, something new comes along and surprises you all over again. That’s the story behind Mike’s Hot Honey (MHH), a category-changing condiment that started out as a pizza shop experiment in August 2010.

It originated in Paulie Gees’s pizzeria in Brooklyn, when Mike’s Hot Honey’s founder, Mike Kurtz, drizzled his homemade hot honey on a slice of pizza. “That simple act sparked a flavour revolution,” says Kate Adams, VP of marketing at Mike’s Hot Honey.

“Guests at the pizzeria were blown away by the sweet-heat combination and kept asking for more,” she adds. “Mike began bottling small batches by hand and selling them directly to customers. What started as a culinary experiment turned into a word-of-mouth phenomenon and before long, Mike’s Hot Honey was defining a whole new category.”

Fifteen years later, the brand has grown from cult favourite to household name. Beyond Paulie Gee’s, restaurants across the US adopted the drizzle – which Kate calls the “first big milestone.” Retail followed, with Mike’s Hot Honey now available in more than 3,000 restaurants and 30,000 stores, including Whole Foods.

This versatility was further demonstrated through thoughtful collaborations with food establishments including Taco Bell, Dunkin’ and launching an unlikely pairing with KFC for Super Bowl LIX.

^{KFC x Mike's Hot Honey, 'Lick Your Lips' for Super Bowl LIX}

Fans have inspired every decision the brand has made, shaping new product variations that are authentic to the brand.

“As demand grew, we invested in distribution, product development (like Extra Hot for scaled heat), packaging development (like mini jars and single-serve packets), and brand storytelling,” Kate explains. “Each step was about bringing the Mike’s Hot Honey experience to more people without losing the flavour-first magic that got us here.”

Drizzle the Mike’s

After 15 years of organic growth, Mike’s Hot Honey decided it was time to level-up its marketing game. The brand partnered with newly launched Another Thing, naming it agency of record.

“They saw the emotional connection people have with their first drizzle, and they pushed us to lean into that joy,” says Kate, “Their creative approach is bold, irreverent, and deeply grounded in how our fans talk about the product.”

Another Thing was tasked with carving out a tone of voice and identity that it truly owned, reflective of the brand’s history and its future growth. “Being on the menu is different from having something to say.” says Mike Cassell, head of strategy at Another Thing. “Despite all the momentum, Mike’s had never launched a campaign in its own voice – and they wanted help crafting a voice that their current fans would love – but also capture the attention of new customers.

“It also had to feel true to Mike Kurtz, Kate Adams, Matt Beaton [CEO] and the entire team who made the brand what it is. So the question we discussed with Mike’s was, ‘how does a cult brand speak to the masses without selling out?’”

The answer lied in the one thing that had consistently championed Mike’s Hot Honey over the years: the fans.

“That was the challenge we set out to solve,” adds Mike. “We knew the answer wasn’t in CPG advertising conventions. It was in the way people already talked about Mike’s. Online. At dinner. On dates. In DMs. We needed to find the emotional truth in those everyday food moments – and turn that into a campaign.”

The resulting brand campaign, ‘Drizzle the Mike's’, is a two part homage to the fans – quirks and all. Inspired by the wacky and wild food combinations that fans experiment with online, Another Thing uncovered a new insight into the brand’s popularity: “Fans don’t just love the taste - they crave the feeling. That full-body serotonin spike,” says Mike. “It’s why people are constantly experimenting with new foods to put it on - chasing that feeling again and again.”

“We didn’t have a big media budget in the early days but what we had was passion and enthusiasm,” adds Kate. “People were drizzling Mike’s Hot Honey on pizza, ice cream, fried chicken, even avocado toast and posting about it. Their enthusiasm helped define the brand’s voice. It’s authentic, it’s irreverent, and it’s joyful. The new campaign literally grew out of real fan comments and first-bite reactions and that energy continues to fuel our brand.”

Built around the cheeky tagline, ‘You’re not stoned. It’s just that good.’, Kate describes the spots – directed by Arts & Sciences’ Hannah Pearl Utt – as a “love letter” to the fans.

“Our fans are the reason we exist. From the first person who asked, ‘What is this on my pizza?’ to the people tagging us in wild drizzle experiments today, they’ve shaped every step of this brand. ‘Drizzle the Mike’s’ is a love letter to them. It captures the moment when someone tries Mike’s Hot Honey and their brain lights up. We just gave it a soundtrack and a slow-motion food shot to give it cinematic appeal that really grabs your attention.”

‘Drizzle the Mike’s’ heralds in a new era of marketing for Mike’s Hot Honey, but it was also important for Another Thing to make reference to the brand’s history in the campaign. “Mike Kurtz’s story was especially inspiring to us. Mike was simply obsessed with pizza and with perfecting his hot honey. That kind of passion is rare and interesting, and we knew the origin story had to play a role in the campaign

“You can see this nod to Mike’s beginnings in the ‘Pizza Chef’ spot, where Mike appears as the apprentice to a master pizza maker who may or may not have left a gummy lying around. It’s a playful nod to where it all started and a reminder that Mike’s magic comes from a really interesting obsession.”

Reflecting on the significance of ‘Drizzle the Mike’s’ in the brand’s story, Kate describes the campaign as a “major leap”. “It’s our first national spotlight, and it’s rooted entirely in the fan love that built the brand. It’s not just a milestone in marketing but a celebration of a movement.”

Keeping the Spark Alive

Mike’s Hot Honey is an example of success without overcomplication. The core product remains the same as it was in 2010, but has been bolstered over time by fans’ enthusiasm for more. “We always come back to flavour and feeling,” says Kate. “Our product is simple but powerful: sweet, spicy, pure, and craveable. We’re careful not to overcomplicate it. Instead, we amplify what people already love about it: creativity, joy, and surprise.”

Looking ahead, Another Thing and Mike’s Hot Honey will continue to listen to its audience. Just as ‘Drizzle the Mike’s’ was conceptualised around insight gleaned from fan behaviour, they will continue to shape the direction that the brand’s marketing goes.

“We’re going back to them to ask them to show us the foods they love to Drizzle the Mike’s on,” says Mike. “We’re enlisting hundreds of Mike’s Hot Honey fans and creators to show the world how they drizzle - from egg rolls to ice cream and everything in between.

“It’s not just a campaign. It’s a movement, powered by the people who made Mike’s a phenomenon in the first place. Our job as an agency - is to prompt the passionate fans then get out of the way!”

Fans can be assured too, that no matter what direction the brand goes next, the taste of Mike’s Hot Honey will always ignite a spark. Kate adds, “Whether it’s new formats, new dishes, or playful marketing, we ask ourselves: does this spark the same delight as that first drizzle?

“If it doesn’t, we don’t do it.”