No More Flex, Please

Wingstop. I’ll admit, I can’t remember ever going there. I have heard from a few friends that they have good wings. My only recollection of them was during the chicken wing shortage of May 2021, when they unofficially rebranded as “Thighstop.”

They’re back in my zeitgeist with a commercial that needs to stop. For those not familiar, it’s a family sitting around a table playing Jenga while “No Flex Zone” by Rae Sremmurd is the track in the background.

If this spot aired once in a while, it wouldn’t be terrible – the ad is fun, the song is unique – even if it’s not clear how it relates to wings or the commercial itself. The problem – the ad buy on this commercial is insane and it the song cuts through so hard it makes it stand out amongst the din of the rest of the commercials during the breaks.

It’s clearly targeted to my demo – (25-44) male, sports fan – because it follows me around to channels I watch and I don’t watch much TV. Clearly, other companies have bigger ad buys – Apple, Arby’s, big pharma. But few have succeeded in creating such nails on chalkboard clip in a long time. I can take some comfort knowing I’m not the only one dying inside when this pops up.

You don’t even have to pull the ad, Wingstop. Just slow down. I’ll buy as many wings as you tell me to. You win.