IHOP is serving up happiness by the plateful in its new :30 “Happy Place” campaign—a whimsical, cinematic journey through a breakfast world where bacon grows on trees, syrup flows like rivers, and pancakes stack higher than your dreams.
Directed by Drew Kirsch (best known for his work with Taylor Swift), the spot transforms IHOP’s new $6 Value Menu into a joyful escape that’s as imaginative as it is appetizing.
Here’s what iSpot’s Creative Assessment platform revealed on actual viewer response to the :30 spot.
The Details:
- The :30 “Happy Place” was a bonafide hit with American consumers, who rated both the high Value deal and the message as creative aspects that were more impressionable vs the average restaurant and QSR ad (past 90 days benchmarks):
- With strong positive response across age/gender, the brand’s new :30 convinced 76% in the general audience to be more likely to visit/purchase at IHOP (to outpace overall industry norms by +10 pts).
- The spot also served as an excellent brand reminder (91% unaided IHOP recall), and ranked in the top decile of industry ads tested over the past 90 days in breakthrough (Attention, Likeability), Watchability, Change, and Desire.
- With strong positive response across age/gender, the brand’s new :30 convinced 76% in the general audience to be more likely to visit/purchase at IHOP (to outpace overall industry norms by +10 pts).
- While clearly a strong performer, IHOP’s :30 creative trailed a few other breakfast restaurant/QSR ads recently released in overall response, including a Denny’s spot touting “Four Slams Starting at $6.99” and the :15 “Happy Place:”
- However, the :30 “Happy Place” sparked higher intent than the :15, and all of the competitive ads. This supports additional budget behind the :30 creative to boost outcomes, if possible.
- Second-by-second trace reveals that consumer engagement was high for all of the recent breakfast ads, with each spot conveying Value and Convenience to viewers:
- Sentiment on the :30 “Happy Place” was quite positive (69% of all sentiment) and saw viewers finding the ad highly effective at making them hungry and highlighting an excellent deal, with the Yummy visuals, music, and emphasis on affordability key drivers.
- Viewers expressed a love for IHOP and its breakfast food while the ad’s wholesome, family-friendly vibe also resonated with a number of commenters
- Sentiment on the :30 “Happy Place” was quite positive (69% of all sentiment) and saw viewers finding the ad highly effective at making them hungry and highlighting an excellent deal, with the Yummy visuals, music, and emphasis on affordability key drivers.
Gen Pop Sentiment on “Happy Place” :30:
Sample comments on “Happy Place” :30
“I love that this commercial got right to the point and showed a variety of meals offered for $6. I enjoyed watching the usage of utensils and condiments. It made it me like the family was really about to enjoy the meal.”
Female 21-35
“Great ad. It was informative and made me aware of the current deals that they’re offering and also helped me remember how good IHOP is. It has me wondering why I haven’t been there in quite some time.”
Male 21-35
“I can relate to this message because I have young kids who love breakfast food. Going out can be expensive for our family of five so a $6 deal is good for us.”
Female 36-49
“Absolutely in love with IHOP restaurants. Everything for breakfast and lunch is amazing. It made me really want to go right now and eat it all.”
Male 36-49
“I love IHOP. The food is delicious and I like that they have affordable deals like these $6 meal deals.”
Female 36-49
“I loved how it moved along, giving us deal after deal after deal. The people were genuinely happy and the background wasn’t too distracting”
Female 50+
“I love that it was visually appealing and the quality. But I also loved the sense of bringing the family together that it gave.”
Female 21-35
“The ad looks nice! The breakfast itself is the selling point. I will order the french toast tomorrow morning.”
Male 36-49
“IHOP’s $6 value menu, I love their pancakes and their hash browns which are also included in the value menu and part of the deal. It made me really hungry.”
Male 36-49
“Was a fun idea, but looks like many other ads.”
Male 21-35
“Liked the use of food to create a different world to better display the products offered.”
Female 21-35
“The IHOP commercial was excellent. I love IHOP. I’ve been there many times and I did not know about this six dollar deal because I haven’t been there in a little while.”
Male 50+
- Our iSpot media measurement reports a favoring of the :15 “Happy Place” (9/10/25-9/23/25) on linear:
- However, given the higher consideration professed for the :30 cut, the brand might consider shifting more support to this creative in order to maximize outcomes.
- Over the same two week period, IHOP has aired about 8%-9% of both linear and streaming casual dining Impressions, and outpaced multiple competitive ‘breakfast’ chains.
- However, given the higher consideration professed for the :30 cut, the brand might consider shifting more support to this creative in order to maximize outcomes.
- Both “Happy Place” English-language ads appealed across ethnicity and regardless of presence of children, turning in above-norm performance and signaling broad reach media is appropriate:
- Denny’s “Four Slams Starting at $6.99” worked very well in grabbing Attention (and as a creative overall); however, viewers were not persuaded to the same degree as those seeing IHOP’S :30 “Happy Place:”
IHOP’s “Happy Place” campaign proves that connection, creativity, and value make a powerful recipe for success. By blending cinematic storytelling with a message of everyday affordability, the brand not only captured hearts but also delivered measurable results — from top-tier brand recall to double-digit lifts in consumer intent.
Schedule a demo to find out how your brand can partner with iSpot to quickly solve both challenges simultaneously, delivering high-performing creative while boosting the effectiveness of planning and in-market execution to achieve—and outperform—campaign objectives.
Creative Agency: Pereira O’Dell