July 22, 2016

Bailey Lauerman and Panda Express Give Fortune Cookies a ‘Bakeover’

Panda Express will now provide guests with a reminder of their true good fortune – not the kind that typically comes in a cookie, but the kind that comes from the people who love, support and inspire them every day.

For one month, Panda Express’s fortune cookies will become ‘fortunate cookies.’ Instead of traditional fortunes, these cookies include messages to remind people of those they are fortunate to have in their lives – messages such as, “Fortunate to spend my life with you,” and “Fortunate for your smile.” Guests are encouraged to share the love by snapping a photo, tagging those they are fortunate for, and using #ShareGoodFortune to start a chain reaction of gratitude.

“We give away more fortune cookies than any other restaurant – nearly 282 million a year – so using each cookie to create a moment for our guests to share their good fortune with others truly can make a big impact,” said Dave Wallinga, vice president of Guest Marketing for Panda Express. “Bailey Lauerman’s creativity and collaboration has helped Panda Express put a ‘pay it forward’ twist on an iconic symbol of hospitality,” said Wallinga.

Creating ‘fortunate cookie’ season was inspired by the people-first culture that co-founders Andrew and Peggy Cherng have created, through the belief that good fortune is not something to keep to yourself, but something best shared with others.

“Expressing gratitude for others is such a big part of Panda Express’s culture. It just seemed natural to bring that together with the fortune cookie – something that is such an essential part of eating at Panda Express,” said Marty Amsler, executive creative director for Bailey Lauerman. “Moments of positivity – no matter how big or small – are something everyone can use a little more of right now. It’s really rewarding to work with a brand that wants to help do that,” said Amsler.

The ‘fortunate cookie’ season also comes to life through a short animated film about how one act of kindness can go a long way. And, all Panda associates receive a ‘fortunate cookie’ pin with a personal note of gratitude from their general manager, along with ‘FortuNotes’ for them to write and share their messages of gratitude with each other. The work can be viewed here.