A crowd donned in red braided wigs, blue checkered dresses and striped gloves competed on World Redhead Day in the ultimate ginger battle: a Wendy’s lookalike contest. The 18 redhead rivals gathered on May 26 in New York’s Seaport Square — a location chosen to honor Wendy’s square-shaped burgers — to showcase their best Wendy’s looks, present Wendy’s-inspired social media posts created for World Hamburger Day and perform Wendy’s style commercials. “Lookalike contests are having a cultural moment, and creating our own feels like the perfect way for Wendy's to celebrate our redhead roots,” a Wendy’s spokesperson told PRWeek. “There's something about genuine fandom that comes to life.”Fans of One Direction, Heated Rivalry and Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette have competed in respective Harry Styles, Hudson Williams and JFK Jr. lookalike contests from London to Washington, DC, this year. Bystander videos — including coverage from outlets CNN and Complex — have garnered millions of views on TikTok.The Wendy’s lookalike winner, Jennifer, is native to Ohio — where Wendy’s was founded in 1969. She wore blue bows in her natural ginger hair while hoisting up a large check with burger illustrations filling the check’s amount box.Thomas awarded the Ohio-native lookalike winner, Jennifer, with a year of free burgers. (Photo credit: Wendy’s, used with permission)Wendy’s tapped Wendy Thomas — daughter of the chain’s founder Dave Thomas and the inspiration for the Wendy’s logo — to judge the competition’s three rounds. While mirroring the Wendy’s logo was the “starting point” for contestants,” they were also judged on the “personality, confidence and bold spirit that defines the Wendy’s brand,” the spokesperson explained. The event celebrated “both redheads and brand fans” with a “get ready with me” station supplied with wigs and accessories; along with trivia, Dave’s single burgers and giveaways, the spokesperson said. Wendy’s led the campaign’s creative and PR, while TMA led experiential.VML led Wendy’s social strategy surrounding the event. The chain called fans to compete last week with the message, “If you have flaming locks of auburn hair and a face card that never declines, we have the perfect contest for you.” Directly following the event, Wendy’s also posted a recap video starring contestants with the captions, “SOMEONE is going to have to change,” and, “It’s giving fan behavior but I’m a fan of me too, so I get it!” to the brand’s 3.4 million TikTok and Instagram followers.@wendysIt’s giving fan behavior but I’m a fan of me too, so I get it!♬ original sound - Wendy’s“Today is all about celebrating the spirit of redheads,” the spokesperson explained. “Redheads make up just 4% of the U.S. population, yet they consistently stand out. That playful, attention-grabbing spirit is something Wendy's has embraced from the beginning.”This story first appeared on PRWeek U.S.