Instagram Ads success story · Fast-casual restaurant chain
How Tropical Smoothie Cafe lifted ad recall 13.1 points with Reels trending ads on Instagram.
The fast-casual chain had a limited-time seasonal item to sell in November. It ran Reels trending ads, which appear right after the most popular creator reels on Instagram, and a brand lift test showed gains in recall, unaided awareness and consideration.
- Business
- Tropical Smoothie Cafe
- Market
- United States (more than 1,600 locations in 44 states)
- Goal
- Awareness and consideration for a limited-time menu item
The results.
Meta did not publish a comparison campaign. A brand lift test compares people who saw the ads with a similar group who did not, so each lift is the difference the ads made.
- 13.1-pointlift in ad recall
- 4.1-pointlift in unaided brand awareness
- 5.7-pointlift in consideration
Meta brand lift test, November 9-23, 2025. Ads shown to US adults aged 18 to 54.
The challenge.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe is a national fast-casual chain, founded in 1997 and based in Atlanta, with more than 1,600 locations in 44 states. Its menu runs from made-to-order smoothies to wraps, salads, sandwiches and flatbreads, with a beachy, tropical feel.
The brand wanted to raise awareness and drive sales of a limited-time seasonal promotion, “Mermaid Style”, which adds blue shimmer sugar to any smoothie or bowl. A limited-time item has only weeks to find its audience, and this one had to stand out in a busy November feed.
- Make vertical videoSound on, text overlays, creators, 9:16.
- Run Reels trending adsShown right after top trending reels on Instagram.
- Let AI find viewersAdvantage+ audience, US adults 18 to 54.
- Measure brand liftRecall, awareness and consideration against a control group.
What they did.
Reels trending ads on Instagram · Creator-led vertical video · Advantage+ audience
- Placed next to what people watch
- Reels trending ads appear in the Instagram Reels tab right after top trending creator reels, across all topics or in categories the brand picks. The ad reaches people while they are watching the most popular content.
- Built for Reels
- Videos were full-screen vertical (9:16) with sound on, clear from the first seconds thanks to text overlays, and entertaining with color, music and storytelling. Key messages stayed inside the Reels safe zone.
- Creators on screen
- The videos featured creators to give the ads a human connection, alongside the brand’s own content.
- AI finds the audience
- Ads went to US adults aged 18 to 54, with Advantage+ audience looking beyond the brand’s usual targeting for people likely to be interested.
Why it worked.
Our read on the decisions behind the numbers, and what any business can take from them.
- Context does the work
- An ad that follows a trending reel inherits the attention that reel earned. People are engaged, watching with sound and in the mood for something fun.
- Made for the placement
- A TV spot cropped for a phone looks like an ad. A vertical video with text and sound looks like the content around it, so people keep watching.
- Fun sells a novelty
- A shimmering blue drink is made for a short, colorful video. The product and the format matched.
- Measured like a brand campaign
- An awareness campaign should be judged on awareness. A brand lift test showed what the ads changed in people’s minds, not just how many saw them.
How we would run this play for your business.
You do not need a national budget to use the same ideas. This is how Overtop Media Digital Marketing puts them to work in our instagram ads management.
- Reels-first video
- We plan and edit short vertical videos for your menu items and offers, with a hook in the first seconds and text that reads with the sound off.
- Local creators
- We bring in creators your customers already watch to show your food and your space, and run their posts as ads.
- Aim at your trade areas
- For restaurants with several locations, we focus spend on the neighborhoods around each one, in Charlotte or anywhere you operate, through our Instagram ads management.
- One plan with TikTok
- The same vertical videos often work on TikTok. Our TikTok ads management runs them there too.
Who this play fits.
You do not have to be a fast-casual restaurant chain to use the same approach. It is a strong fit for:
- Restaurants, cafes and juice bars
- Franchise and multi-location brands
- Breweries, bakeries and dessert shops
- Retailers with seasonal or limited-time products
- Any brand with a launch that needs attention fast
Want results like these?
Tell us about your business and your goals. We will show you where Instagram ads can bring you customers, and what it would take.
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Results as published by Meta in its Tropical Smoothie Cafe success story, measured with a Meta brand lift test. Results for other businesses will differ. Analysis by Victor Bubuioc, MBA, Digital Performance and Growth Expert, published October 21, 2026.