Sunkist Celebrates the Year of the Rooster with Panda Express

Each year Panda Express -- the quick-serve Chinese restaurant chain with 710 locations in 37 states, Puerto Rico and Japan -- sponsors a Chinese New Year's promotion. In this, the Year of the Rooster, Sunkist was the partner.

From January 30 to March 5, the company gave each of its customers a laisee, the traditional Chinese red envelope decorated with symbols of longevity, prosperity and good health and containing good wishes and a gift, usually money. In the case of the Panda Express promotion, the envelope contained a coupon for .35 off on four or more pieces of any variety of Sunkist citrus. In Chinese society, oranges and tangerines are a symbol of good fortune and prosperity and always incorporated into New Year's celebrations.

In addition to its giveaway, Panda Express also develops a special new dish to celebrate the season. This year it was "firecracker chicken," chicken cooked with red and yellow peppers and black bean sauce.

The Chinese New Year's partnership between Sunkist and Panda Express came about in a rather serendipitous fashion. "We met with Sunkist to talk about Sunkist Fun Fruit, which we were looking into offering as part of our kids meal," says Kimberly Griffin, marketing director of the Panda Restaurant Group. "I proposed doing something for Chinese New Year, and this was the result."

No matter how it came about, the promotion was a success.

More than one million red envelopes were given away at the 685 participating outlets. Next year, Panda Express intends to expand the promotion, possibly doing a fold out with several partners. "We do it as a goodwill gesture to our guests. The idea is that the customer will get little gifts from various vendors," Griffin adds.