An actual Arby’s restaurant escape room, recreated in Instagram Stories.
2019 | Arby's | Moxie
Our team proposed building a full escape room experience inside Instagram Stories using only the platform’s native features.
Creating a storyline, clue system, and a 100 frame limitation, we used stickers, polls, questions, filters, effects, and in platform tools to create an interactive narrative that unfolded one puzzle at a time.
The goal was to design a fully playable game that rewarded curiosity and used Instagram behavior to our advantage.
To give Arby's fans a social experience they had never seen before, we hacked Instagram to create a unique gaming experience right within the platform.
Storyline and Game Design
We planned the entire escape room narrative on a wall of color coded Post-it notes before building it digitally. Each color represented mechanics like achievements, puzzles, native tool activations, and narrative beats.
The final story spanned nearly 100 frames and guided players through clues hidden in menu boards, signage, ingredient props, and even the tender themed “Tender” app we created as a parody of Tinder.
Channel Native Gameplay
Every puzzle used an Instagram feature as a mechanic.
Polls, sliders, filters, quizzes, question boxes, and location stickers all played roles in solving clues.
This made the experience feel like it belonged on Instagram rather than being forced onto the platform.
Visual Worldbuilding
We shot custom content in an Arby’s restaurant after closing to control the environment and hide clues throughout the space. We also created @thesaucepump, a spoof art account filled with surreal content that tied into the escape room in subtle ways.
Achievement System
The escape room included ten achievements that players unlocked as they progressed.
Sixteen achievement slots were displayed to make players think they might have missed something, reinforcing the playful, slightly chaotic tone of Arby’s social voice.
RESULTS
The Instagram Escape Room became one of Arby's most ambitious and memorable social activations. The entire experience, aside from one paid teaser, was posted organically, and the metrics far exceeded expectations. Fans not only played through the puzzles but stayed with the story and shared it across platforms.
WINNER
Innovative Use of Interactive Technology
ATL ADDY AWARDS
SILVER
2020
Engagement
62K+
Total interactions across stickers, sliders, and polls
Engagement
1.9k shares
Over 800 shares on the How to Play frame alone
Engagement
12.9%
percent engagement rate on interactive frames
Engagement
25%
of users watched all 95 frames and completed the escape
Reception
Overwhelmingly positive fan reception
many noting they wanted Arby’s after playing
Views
26K+
Average impressions per frame
TEAM
Scott Hunt – Creative Direction, Concept and Filming
Hughston May – Concept, Filming, Art Direction, Design and Editing
Orin Heidelberg – Concept, Copywriting
Cameron Mendenhall – Project Manager