To celebrate the new Wendy’s restaurant in Camden, VMLY&R invited the local creative community to be a part of the store opening.

VMLY&R partnered with local artist collective Camden Open Air Gallery to give the iconic Wendy’s mascot – known for having red pigtails – a Camden twist, resulting in three new hairstyles: punk spikes, an emo fringe, and a bouffant quiff.

With a limited budget, VMLY&R used a mural, restaurant windows, and fly posters to showcase the campaign – all painted and printed by hand. Fans voted on social media for the permanent look of Wendy’s Camden restaurant. Within days, people started selling merch of the new mascot and the campaign had media coverage in the UK and US.

Credits:
Wendy’s: Camden Makeover
Category: Illustration
Entrant: VMLY&R
Agency: VMLY&R
Chief Creative Officer: Laurent Simon
Creative Director: Dayoung Yun
Senior Creatives: Matt Jones, Abi Stephenson
Associate Strategy Director: Eliza Hazlerigg
Head of Social: Christina Miller
Community Manager: Sinead Brennan
Business Director: Lloyd Sampson
Account Director: Tom Hayward
Project Director: Beth Dooley
Artworking: Nathan Jones
Designer: Jack Webster
Media Agency: Spark Foundry
Managing Partner: Simon Jones
Associate Director: Paige Tilley
Account Managers: Sophie Pinna, Anna-Christina Mouawad
PR Agency: BCW
Director: Jasmine Barnes
Senior Account Director: Florence Christie