Why LEON Leaked Emails for Its 20th Birthday

The seconds after you realise you’ve sent an email to the wrong recipient are some of the most tense. Especially when you’ve accidentally leaked confidential company information. But that’s exactly what naturally fast food brand LEON did – or pretended to do – in its latest campaign.

An email with the subject line ‘[INTERNAL] Lucky Katsu Return Proposal’ dropped into LEON subscribers’ inboxes this month, with the preview text set to ‘The sender tried to recall this message on Monday, September 9, 2024 08:14:12’. Enticed readers would unveil a behind the scenes debate between the restaurant’s food team and managing director on whether or not to bring back one of its most popular items, LEON’s Lucky Katsu, as part of its 20th birthday menu.

Designed to spark curiosity and conversation online, the inventive campaign made subscribers feel like they were peeking behind the curtain, privy to secrets meant only for insiders. Brand and social media manager, Amy McMillan, divulges the marketing strategy behind it and ponders why spilled secrets are so seductive in this interview with LBB’s Zara Naseer.

LBB> What inspired the concept of using leaked internal emails as the format for this campaign?

Amy> We wanted to play on the human urge to be a bit curious – we’ve all been in that position before, when you accidentally get an email or juicy screenshot that wasn’t meant for your eyes. You know you shouldn’t be reading it, but you can’t help but take a peek! We knew that if we labelled something as ‘Internal’ and ‘Confidential’, it would be natural instinct to click and read on. The ‘leaked’ format helped us engage our guests with a sense of intrigue, as though they were getting an inside scoop on something special.

LBB> Did you use any data to guide your decisions? 

Amy> We sure did. We looked at previous email campaigns and how our subscribers engaged with various different formats. We also reviewed open rates/click-through rates for traditional menu launch emails and identified ways to increase engagement. Data on customer interest in our Lucky Katsu also played a big part in our decision to bring the dish back – specifically from feedback to our guest happiness team and from requests on our social media channels.

LBB> An email campaign can be risky – so many get deleted either immediately or before scrolling to the bottom. How did you make sure readers would feel compelled to open it and keep reading?

Amy> We sparked curiosity by including “[INTERNAL]” in the subject line, so that readers felt instantly compelled to open. We also had the preview text set to: “The sender tried to recall this message on Monday, September 9, 2024 08:14:12”, to make the ‘leaked’ nature of the send seem even more authentic. Once readers had opened the email, we wanted to keep them reading by ensuring the content echoed a genuine email thread. We kept the tone conversational and relatable, making it feel like a real discussion. 

LBB> From a consumer’s perspective, what is it that’s so enticing about peeking behind the curtain?

Amy> We’re living in a time where consumers’ value exclusivity – we love to be the first to hear about a new album, try a new menu, go to a new event etc. The concept of ‘getting in early’ taps into this desire for exclusivity, making the reader feel like they are part of the inner circle. It’s almost like breaking the fourth wall between brand and consumer, creating a connection that feels more personal. 

LBB> Tell us about the copy. What tone were you looking to hit, and why? And given the important role visuals play in stimulating hunger, how did you get mouths watering while only using two images?

Amy> We wanted the tone to feel authentic, so we mimicked how we might really communicate with one another in our own office. We kept the copy friendly and relaxed, but also included the usual corporate email etiquette which office-goers know all too well. 

We are usually very image led in our comms, so we really had to rely on strong descriptive language from our ‘food team’ to communicate the delicious taste of our katsu. But we knew that including the two mouth-watering picture attachments would help bring this vision to life for our readers. 

LBB> How did you decide that bringing back an old favourite menu item would be the perfect way to celebrate LEON’s 20th birthday? How have you shaped that nostalgia to connect with both long-time and new customers?

Amy> The Lucky Katsu was a crowd favourite when we first launched it in 2019, and we’ve had customers consistently asking for its return ever since. As we approached LEON’s 20th birthday, we wanted to celebrate by giving back to our loyal guests in a way that felt meaningful. But we also knew a katsu dish would be popular among new guests. The return of the Lucky Katsu felt like the perfect mix of nostalgia and excitement for both long-term fans and LEON newbies. 

LBB> Did you come up against any key challenges in the process of this campaign? How did you overcome them?

Amy> The biggest challenge was achieving the authentic look and feel of an email thread whilst still communicating everything we wanted it to from a marketing perspective, as we didn’t want this to look like a typical promotion newsletter. We overcame this by working closely with our design team and brand content team to ensure the email not only looked the part, but still delivered all the important information seamlessly.

LBB> How does the campaign fit into LEON’s overall brand strategy?

Amy> Ultimately, LEON’s mission is to challenge the status quo of fast food and, in a similar fashion, we wanted to use that same challenger mindset in our approach to this launch email. LEON has always been about being bold and fun, as well as making real connections with our guests. This campaign really reflects these values – the ‘leaked’ format was bold and disruptive. But the content also felt real and human, and conveys our very sincere passion and ethos to deliver naturally good fast food. 

LBB> How will you be sustaining the momentum this campaign builds?

Amy> We’ve got a few tricks up our sleeve to keep the excitement from this campaign going – one of which was subtly mentioned in the ‘leaked’ email: our Lucky Katsino event, where attendees will be able to play casino-style games, win amazing prizes, and (of course) try our Lucky Katsu. We’re also focusing on continuing engagement surrounding our autumn menu with social media content, segmented email sends, and in-store promotions. The return of the Lucky Katsu is just the beginning… watch this space.