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TGI Fridays Birthday Gram – Experiential Surprise Activation

At Hussel Marketing, we don’t just market brands. We stage experiences people don’t forget.

So when TGI Fridays asked us to dial up their legendary birthday vibes and take them beyond the restaurant walls, we said: let’s bring the party to the people.

The brief?

Deliver joy. Cause a scene. Surprise people in the best possible way. And make sure it feels unmistakably TGI Fridays.

The Creative Challenge

TGI Fridays is known for its high-energy birthday celebrations – but this campaign had one mission: take that same chaos, charm, and celebration and deliver it anywhere.

Offices. Homes. Street corners. A brand experience that didn’t wait for people to come to the venue, but found them in the middle of their everyday.

Our response? Birthday Gram. A high-impact pop-up moment that reimagined the birthday surprise for a modern, social-first audience.

Execution and Solution

We launched an open nomination system, where friends and family could submit birthdays for a chance to win a Fridays-style surprise – complete with singing, dancing, music, and branded energy.

The winners?

Surprised at work, at home, and on the streets by a full Fridays flash mob.

To make the most of each city, we grouped nominations by location and hit multiple birthday stops per day.

Some days were all-out performance routes, others focused on creating content with longer dwell time per location to maximise noise, visibility, and shareable moments.

The team hit key high-footfall areas, arriving in style with speakers, dancers, and Fridays team members ready to go full party-mode.

It wasn’t just about the birthday guest, each stop was an in-street performance that pulled in passersby, sparked filming from strangers, and turned heads across the city.

Results

While the surprise itself was the core of the activation, the halo effect was where the real magic happened:

– Dozens of Birthday Grams delivered across UK cities, grouped for maximum impact and visibility

– Significant increases in branded mentions and social shares organically through UGC

– Mass engagement from the public at each location, with content filmed and shared by those who witnessed the activation

– A growing database of new fans through nominations and follow-up press

– Strong brand association: turning Fridays into the go-to destination for fun, celebratory energy – even outside the venue

Conclusion

This campaign was an opportunity to show up, show off and remind people exactly what TGI Fridays is all about – big energy, big smiles, and family moments you’ll talk about for the rest of the year.

From street corners to office car parks, we turned everyday places into mini parties. And whether you were the one being surprised or just passing by, you couldn’t help but stop and watch.

Great marketing doesn’t feel like marketing. It feels like something you’re glad you didn’t miss.

Got an idea that deserves that kind of impact? Let’s make it happen.

"Absolutely love working with Hussel. We have been working with Lewis and his team for a year now and he always goes above and beyond. He listens to what our priorities are, guides us to the best solution and adapts our plan with him to suit. His experience and knowledge is second to non and he always has our company’s best interest at heart. We feel like the Hussel team are an extension of our own and we are looking forward to the next chapter of working with them."
Katie Clay

Operations Director - Gamble FS

"We worked with Lewis on a CGI campaign for roll out across 6 of our key markets. Lewis and the team brought bags of energy from the start, with great creative thinking and pitch presentations. We LOVE the end result, all films delivered our expectations 100%. The Hussel team brought a wealth of creative ideas that perfectly complemented our vision and requirements. Lewis, in particular, was always accessible and keen to find the best solutions to our needs. His dedication, professionalism and outstanding ideas were essential to the success of our project"
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Marketing Team UK & EU - Lansinoh®

"It's been a blast working with Lewis and the Hussel Marketing team since the start of 2023. Lewis brings a new dimension, thought process and a level of Marketing expertise that we just don't have in our current business set -up. Lewis has become a welcome extension to our business. Lewis is full of energy & enthusiasm and is clearly passionate about his subject. If you can deal with the pace - I'd fully recommend having this marketing innovator on-board."
Nick Ratcliffe

Marketing Director - FASTSIGNS Manchester

"Lewis is my (not so) secret weapon for disruptive PR! We've worked on some brilliant brand activations this year with Revoluciòn de Cuba and I can't wait to carry on creating memorable moments, flipping the familiar into a fiesta. Our most recent activation in Birmingham Bullring was beautifully pulled together, the video has been a hit internally and i'm excited for the content to hit our digital channels for guests to see. Lewis is professional, enthusiastic, innovative and I feel confident that he can literally pull anything off we dare to dream up!"
Kate Hawkshaw

Brand Manager - Revolución de Cuba

"Hussel were exactly what we were looking for as a think outside of the box marketing agency. Brennan worked with Hussel to produce a video for use as an advert on our social media & YouTube channels. Lewis and his team were fantastic to work with & delivered exactly what we were looking for with the tone & presentation of the video. We've been so impressed with the first video they produced for us that we've decided to turn this into a series of adverts for our company. We're really happy to continue to work with Hussel and produce some compelling but fun content for our customers."
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Marketing Manager - Brennan Industries

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Owner/Director - HM Staffing

Lewis and Hussel is not just another Marketing place. Working with Lewis developed and in time, he felt like family. His ideas are wild and unique and designed to engage and intrigue resulting in 100s of thousands of views if not millions. He ran a cancer awareness campaign for us and created an investor video ad in under a week. The results were stunning and a great showcase of his talent as an artist. I expect huge things for him and his company and expect this to be the start of his firm exploding!!
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Owner/Director - Infusion 51a

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