Nathan’s Famous Introduces Talking Hot Dog

Smithfield Foods, Inc., licensee of the Nathan’s Famous retail business, announces the launch of a new brand platform for Nathan’s Famous, the iconic American hot dog brand. Nathan’s Famous has been around since 1916 and the new platform celebrates both their deep roots in New York and their 100% beef hot dogs. The new campaign introduces a talking hot dog that brings plenty of New York attitude to the table. Developed in partnership with adam&eveDDB New York, this work marks their first collaboration since being named Smithfield Foods’ Creative Agency of Record for both Nathan’s Famous and Eckrich in November 2023.

“Our goal is to take Nathan’s Famous to a whole new level with a new platform: ‘100% Beef, 100% New York.’ This exciting new work emphasises our commitment to using 100% beef in our hot dogs, while paying homage to our 100+ year New York heritage,” said Lauren Talbert, senior director of marketing at Smithfield Foods.

The Smithfield Foods and adam&eveDDB partnership extends beyond just advertising. Together, they have also redesigned Nathan’s Famous’ beloved mascot, 'Frankie.' Reinvigorated with a fresh personality, the modernised version of Frankie has already made appearances at Hot Dog Eating Qualifier events, building anticipation for the upcoming Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4th in Coney Island. Moving forward, you will find Frankie across the brand's social channels, representing the brand's updated image for the modern consumer.

Angela Cheng, Nathan’s Famous brand manager at Smithfield Foods, added, “We’re using our NY roots to refresh the brand, and that includes Frankie. We’ve always been an iconic New York brand, but now we’re showing up in more modern ways than ever before – celebrating our great taste, appealing to people all across the country, and catching people’s attention with our talking hot dog and our mascot, Frankie, who’s full of personality and will show up in surprising ways.”

The new Nathan’s Famous campaign kicks off with two ads. The first, a 30-second spot titled “Beef,” and the second, a 15-second spot titled “Mustard.” Both showcase the New York ‘born and bunned’ origins and personality of the 100% beef hot dog. They leverage the brand’s heritage but do it in a contemporary way, and with a bit of New York attitude.

Jason Ashlock, executive creative director at adam&eveDDB New York said, “When it comes to hot dogs, it doesn’t get more iconic than Nathan’s Famous. They’re part of the fabric of NY, and stubborn like a true New Yorker, their recipe hasn’t changed in 100 years. That’s really what inspired the new platform.” Jason continued, “For us, there was no better spokesperson than the hot dog itself. We just had to figure out how to make it talk with a New York accent. It was such a fun character to create—both brash and endearing. A real bite of New York.”

Mitch Horton, head of design at adam&eveDDB New York said, “We wanted the new look of Nathan’s Famous to match its icon status. Graphic, bold typography. A classic colour palette inspired by their New York history but modernised. Stickers that highlight brand benefits. It’s a tightly designed collage of elements, just like you’d see walking down the streets of NYC. And of course there’s our illustrated hot dog mascot – Frankie. He’s been with the brand for a while, but we’ve redesigned him for today.”

The spots were directed by filmmaker Pete Marquis who’s known for his work with Tubi’s ‘Interface Interruption’ for Super Bowl 57, McDonald’s ‘Menu Song’ featuring Lil Yachty, and Coors Light ‘Bear’ featuring Patrick Mahomes.

The yearlong campaign will launch in late May via a multi-channeled approach across TVC, OLV, Social, Programmatic, and Audio.