White Castle has never been subtle about devotion. You don’t casually like Sliders. You crave them. You defend them. You swear fealty to them at 2 a.m. And with its new brand campaign, “Crave Thy Castle,” America’s first fast-food hamburger chain is finally giving that obsession a face… and a helmet.
Created with newly appointed AOR GSD&M, the campaign leans hard into humor, fandom, and the kind of self-awareness Gen Z actually respects. The idea is simple and clever: when a White Castle craving strikes, it manifests as your own medieval doppelgänger, a knight who exists solely to guide you toward Sliders, whether you’re at work, in a grocery aisle, or standing between you and a bad lunch decision.
The campaign, directed by RadicalMedia’s Steve Miller, launches with two 30-second spots and 15-second cutdowns aimed squarely at “Crave Curious” younger audiences browsing retail aisles and feeds alike. In “Lunch Break,” an office worker’s hunger summons her personal Castle Craving knight, who arrives in full armor to deliver hot, microwave-ready Sliders, because destiny waits for no breakroom. The spot closes with the rallying cry, “When Craving Strikes, Strike Back.” Watch below:
In “Stop Here,” a shopper cruising the frozen food aisle meets his own armored alter ego, who wordlessly loads his cart with boxed White Castle Sliders. The verdict is final. The line lands clean: “Your Castle Craving Knows Best.”
“White Castle has one of the most devoted fan bases in fast food, and we wanted to make that craving impossible to miss,” said Jay Russell, Chief Creative Officer at GSD&M. “This campaign literally brings the urge for a slider to life, making it undeniable.”
“For White Castle, the challenge is simple,” added Jamie Richardson, CMO of White Castle. “Introduce more people everywhere to our one-of-a-kind taste. How do you make people crave something they’ve never tasted? Our answer was to create an un-ignorable embodiment of that craving willing to do whatever it takes until it’s satisfied.”
From there, the campaign expands into a full omnichannel rollout across CTV, OLV, display, radio, and social, including Meta, TikTok, Snap, and influencer partnerships. White Castle and GSD&M are also transforming creators into “Craving Catalysts,” turning everyday moments like late-night snacks, game days, and mid-day hunger spirals into content engineered to make scrolling dangerous.
And because White Castle never half-commits, the brand is stepping directly into Super Bowl LX with an official DraftKings partnership. The “Crave Thy Victory” prediction contest puts $5,000 in total cash prizes on the line, positioning White Castle not just around the game, but inside it, meeting net-gen fans where competition, culture, and cravings collide. The activation includes a custom landing page, co-branded emails, integrated media, and a robust social push.
The brand is also teaming up with The Dan Le Batard Show for a custom roundtable segment built around a ticking microwave clock. As a White Castle slider heats up during a :60 countdown, panelists debate the best bets of the week, racing the ding and delivering crave-worthy commentary before the Sliders are ready to eat. Stakes have never been so… delicious.
“Crave Thy Castle” marks White Castle’s first work with GSD&M since the agency was awarded the business in July 2025. It’s playful, slightly unhinged in the best way, and perfectly aligned with a brand that understands one universal truth: when the craving hits, resistance is futile.
CREDITS:
BRAND: White Castle
- Jaime Richardson: CMO
- Sarah Paulson: Director of Retail Marketing, Innovation, and Licensing
- Aaron Lahman: Digital Marketing Manager
- Marie Cottrell: Sr. Brand Manager
- Tyler Smigelski: Brand Manager
AGENCY: GSD&M
- Lee Newman – CEO
- Jay Russell – Chief Creative Officer
- Keisha Taitt – Chief Cultural Insights Officer
- Peggy McCann – Chief Media Officer
- Joe McCaffrey – SVP Head of Social Media
- Kate Rush Sheehy – Co-Chief Strategy Officer
- Dave Zwickerhill – SVP Analytics and Innovation
- Account/Project Management
- Coley Platt – VP/GAD
- Nic Giron – Acct. Supervisor
- Kangsan Kim – Assoc Director Project Manager
- Maddie Mashewske – Project Manager
- Jessica Zalaznick – Creative Director
- Wade Alger – Creative Director
- Adam Stockton – AD
- Kyle Kimball – Assoc Creative Director
- Shannon Gill – Sr. Writer
- Jayme Ray – Sr. AD
- Clay Hudson – Creative Director
- Jaycee Jamison – Jr Art Director
- Jacob Rubenstein – Jr Writer
- Dalia Rubinowicz – Jr Writer
- Tanyah Chambers – Jr Writer
- Kaitlyn Peterson – AD
- Leslie Hung – Sr. AD
- Jessica Peltzman – Social Media Director
- Alice Kozdemba – Sr. Social Strategist
- Daeron Brodie – Social Media Manager
- Brendan Ek – Sr. Social Content Creator
- Bree Wiethorn – Media Director
- Auston Lenius – Media Supervisor
- Lily Clark – Asst Media Planner
- Jenna Jarvis – Paid Social Supervisor
- Jake Norrie – Ad Ops Supervisor
- Deisy Velazquez – Search Campaign Manager
- Christina Hirsch – Strategy Director
- McKenna Carpenter – Comms Strategist
- Shannon Shultz – Strategy Director
- Reid Cobb – Sr Analytics Manager
- Dirk Visser – Associate Director Decision Sciences
- Linda Jackson – Sr Producer
- Nina Xoomsai – Ex Producer
- Chloe Singer – Producer
PRODUCTION COMPANY: RadicalMedia
- Steve Miller – Director
- Rebecca Niles – Executive Producer
- Tracie Mochizuki – Staff Producer
- Carla Tate – Producer
PRODUCTION SERVICES: radioaktiveFilm
- Sasha Bevka – Executive Producer
- Eugene Mikhailyuk – Head of Production
- Amy Prickett – Bidding Producer
- Bogdana Grabovska – In-House Production Coordinator
- Michelle Woodward – Producer
- Tiffany Burchard – Editor
OFFLINE/COLOR/FINISHING/ AUDIO – Omnicom Studios
- Kaleidoscope: Hero packaging
- Hero Solutions: Helmet and cloche design
- Scott Payne: Hero product
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