In a move that prioritized purpose over profit, Lion Cub’s Cookies, recently ranked No. 2 in USA TODAY’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards for Best Cookie Shop of 2025, closed both of its thriving Columbus storefronts on a Saturday, its busiest day of the week.
Why? To remind us what real connection tastes like.
For Loneliness Awareness Week, the beloved cookie company teamed up with Charlotte-based agency lüquire to launch “Share a Warm Moment,” a one-day activation that transformed Ohio Living Westminster-Thurber, a local retirement community, into a pop-up cookie shop. Guests were invited to sit down, share a cookie, and swap stories with residents, many of whom described it as “the happiest day they’ve had in years.”
What could’ve been just another feel-good stunt turned into an earned-first campaign with real bite:
- Cookies sold out halfway through the day—one sold every second.
- Sales doubled the brand’s average Saturday rate, despite the storefront closures.
- Over 500,000 people engaged with the campaign’s message—no PSA required.
And that warmth didn’t stop when the doors closed. Lion Cub followed up with a limited-edition “shareable cookie,” donating 20% of proceeds to Ohio State University’s Age-Friendly Innovation Center. The brand continues to encourage fans to post their own stories using #ShareAWarmMoment or to volunteer with older adults. Watch below:
“We’ve always believed in the power of cookies to bring people together,” said Bradley Kaplan, Founder and CEO of Lion Cub’s Cookies. “Closing our stores on the busiest day of the week wasn’t about business. We wanted to show that even the smallest gesture, like starting a conversation, can spark a connection. That’s the kind of warmth we hope to share, one cookie at a time.”
“This is the kind of work that speaks to who we are,” said Brooks Luquire, CEO of lüquire. “It starts with a bold idea and ends with something people actually feel. We set out to create more than a one-day moment by reminding them what it truly means to connect with one another.”
Heartfelt, strategic, and baked with intention—this campaign proves that sometimes the sweetest thing you can serve is simply time.
Watch the film and view full credits below.
CREDITS:
BRAND: Lion Cub’s Cookies
Brad Kaplan – Founder and CEO
AGENCY: luquire
- Glen Hilzinger – CCO
- Jenny Grant – GCD, Copywriter
- Adam Levine – CMO
- Josh Taguiam – CD, Art Director
- Jonathan Fernandez – ACD, Copywriter
- Hope Knudson – Art Director
- Josh Lambke – Account Supervisor
- Hallie Dean – PR Account Supervisor
- Christina Rogers – Senior Director of Communications
- Katie Combs – PR Account Executive
- Katie Brown – Director of Business Strategy
- Katie Hamilton – Senior Project Manager
- Maggie Carpenter – Communications Strategist
- Nancy Landesberg – Executive Producer
- Reid Lorenz – Integrated Communication Specialist
- Ian Marceca – Director/DP
- Tami Jones – Producer
- Westcamp – Printing
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