Marketing Means Business

Aggressive, competitive marketing re-emerges on the heels of sales success

By Allison Perlik, Senior Editor -- Restaurants & Institutions, 6/1/2004

Can a new spin on a 30-year-old television campaign and an ungainly but obedient chicken fire up Burger King’s flagging sales?

That’s the expectation inside the struggling burger giant’s Miami headquarters, which named a new lead advertising agency in January after its lackluster “The Fire is Ready” campaign faltered. Moving in step with a host of foodservice colleagues and competitors, Burger King is shifting its marketing strategy, launching efforts aimed not simply at staying afloat but rather at rising above the competition.

The same theme has been echoing across the industry as chains, independents and noncommercial operations alike put forth marketing initiatives that are edgy, aggressive and in your face, all in the hopes of building on sales momentum in an unpredictable business climate.

Burger King has reached back to its roots to connect with core Gen-X and Gen-Y customers by reviving its “Have It Your Way” tagline. One aspect of the campaign allows users of a company Web site to command the chain’s Subservient Chicken character (top) to perform specified actions, playing up the idea of personal choice while hawking new TenderCrisp Chicken Sandwiches (above).

Burger King, for its part, has reached back to its roots to connect with core Gen-X and Gen-Y customers by reviving the “Have It Your Way” tagline, and using quirky characters in television spots that highlight customization, empowerment and individuality. In a smaller, more targeted aspect of the campaign, a Web site, www.subservientchicken.com, has been created. Visitors can command the Subservient Chicken character to perform specified actions, playing up the idea of personal choice while subtly hawking new TenderCrisp Chicken Sandwiches.

“[The new agency] is a broad-gauge marketer. They don’t depend on 30-second TV commercials to be the only tactic to connect with customers,” says BK Chief Marketing Officer Russ Klein. “The overarching idea is driving profitable traffic through increased emotional connection with our core customer.”

Consider Jicama Grill, a high-end Latin American restaurant in Louisville, Ky., that often enjoys a packed house on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. In January, Chef-co-owner Anthony Lamas established lunch service at the 4-year-old eatery; two months later, he opened for dinner on Sunday nights when many local competitors are closed. The new dayparts serve a twofold purpose: they attract a new clientele and allow more options for diners who want to visit Jicama Grill but who may be deterred by long waits on busy nights.

For Dallas-based T.G.I. Friday’s, a switch in advertising agencies last September stemmed not from a lack of success but rather as part of a push for the casual-dining chain to build market share and gain category leadership as it approaches its 40th birthday in 2005. The company’s latest commercials spotlight new products while communicating a fun and lively dining experience.

“It’s always hard when sales are good to recommend changes,” says Eric Bierbrier, executive director of Friday’s U.S. brand marketing. “Our No. 1 issue has not been about trial but about retrial. We’re looking for people who are using casual dining to now consider T.G.I. Friday’s.”

Getting Fresh
This pattern of change is especially evident among chains stepping up their efforts to stand apart and be noticed. Longtime casual-dining player Houlihan’s gave a racy new edge to its marketing when it signed on a new creative agency in March to shape its “Nooner” promotion. Meanwhile, a new $5 million campaign from regional Italian chain Bertucci’s Brick Oven Pizzeria includes television spots filmed in Italy to underscore the concept’s authenticity and freshness.

Houlihan’s Nooner campaign, which promises diners that their lunch orders will be served in 15 minutes or are free, targets the Kansas City, Mo.-based chain’s 21-to-54-year-old audience with suggestive taglines that Creative Director and Brand Manager Jen Gulvik describes as “mainstream, sophisticated humor.” The message is communicated through traditional media such as radio, billboards and print advertising as well as via mobile trucks, e-mail, door hangers, personal ads in alternative-weekly magazines and a Web site (www.haveanooner.com).

Built around the tagline “The Keepers of the Flame,” Northborough, Mass.-based Bertucci’s strategy employs three 30-second television commercials and 60-second radio spots.

“We don’t have a hard time keeping our best customers; they come back,” says Kathy Kiely, vice president of marketing. “For us it’s about getting new customers in, so we’re looking to distinguish the brand from competitors and therefore stimulate trial.”

Hardee’s ads featuring former baseball star Mark McGwire emphasize the chain’s “burgers for grown-ups.”

Food for Thought
The notorious singing Spongmonkeys from Denver-based Quiznos Sub notwithstanding, many quick-service restaurants and noncommercial operations are crafting product-based campaigns to keep same-store sales strong.

In its first-ever national advertising campaign, Minneapolis-based International Dairy Queen promotes new CheeseQuake Blizzards under the “DQ Something Different” tagline. Milford, Conn.-based Subway’s recent “Split Screen” series of ads sings the praises of new offerings such as the Grilled Chicken and Baby Spinach Salad.

30,000
Number of phone calls Quiznos Sub reportedly received in response to its singing Spongmonkeys commercials the first month they ran.

Hardee’s Food Systems Inc., which posted a meaty 16% comparable-sales increase for the four-week period ended April 19, continues to shape advertising around its Thickburger product. Brad Haley, executive vice president of marketing for the St. Louis-based chain, says the April-launched ads—including one featuring former St. Louis Cardinals star Mark McGwire—focus on the sandwich’s size and quality to emphasize that Hardee’s offers “burgers for grownups.”

Product innovation and variety also drive marketing efforts for Gaithersburg, Md.-based contractor Sodexho USA. The company’s eight proprietary brands offer regular limited-time offers (LTO) to increase check averages and keep menus fresh, says Holly Smith, director of marketing for the Retail Brand Group. Items such as Buffalo-style french fries at its Sky Ranch Grill concept or burrito bowls at Salsa Rico are promoted via banners, counter signs, window clings and even employee buttons.

In Sodexho’s corporate services division, current LTOs revolve around seasonal tastes in the “Four Seasons of Flavor” program. The winter theme, “Classics Reinvented,” put a new spin on old favorites: Instead of traditional surf and turf, chefs created a tuna club wrap, while French onion soup inspired a French onion steak sandwich.

Lisa Larsen Hill, senior vice president of marketing and creative services for Sodexho’s corporate services division, says the program is achieving its goal: participation has increased between 7% and 15% for specific LTOs.

With marketing budgets running from limited to nonexistent, independent restaurants often concentrate their efforts on special events and programs that create a buzz and set concepts apart from competitors.

Hot Pot Cafe, a special section within Chinese concept Ben Pao, offers four tables where diners cook by submerging food in seasoned, boiling broth.

That’s precisely the idea behind the new Hot Pot Cafe at upscale Chinese concept Ben Pao (part of the Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises portfolio) in Chicago. Situated in a special section at the front of the restaurant, Hot Pot offers four tables where diners cook items such as chicken, vegetables and scallops by submerging them in seasoned, boiling broth. A variety of dipping sauces accompanies the meal, priced at $19.95 per person.

“Everyone walks by and smells the broth and wonders what’s going on. It creates interest,” says Managing Partner Ed Culleeney.

Taking the opportunity to offer a taste of culture as well as cuisine, many restaurants are building in-house marketing around art and music.

In July, Maître d‘ Jerry Slater and Chef de Cuisine Todd Richards will introduce a “Cooked on Jazz” series to build business during slow summer months at The Oakroom in The Seelbach Hilton hotel in Louisville, Ky. For $75 per person, guests can enjoy a specific style of live music—bluegrass will be first—with a customized menu to match (think popcorn-crusted scallops and paddlefish caviar).

At Chicago’s Blackbird restaurant, Founder and General Manager Donnie Madia and Executive Chef Paul Kahan pair the work of local artists with inspired menus for a six-month-long artists series. From May to October, the restaurant displays one artist’s work each month and hosts a corresponding dinner.

“We like doing things that others don’t do,” Madia says. “It’s another tool in the arsenal.”

Marketing That Matters

For Philadelphia-based Aramark, mixing marketing with education has proven a formula for success in the school support services division. Currently, the company’s main promotion ties together nutritious student meals with fun events and prizes to drive participation and healthy-eating education.

The elementary school program is centered around a nutrition awareness mascot named Spike, who visits schools for health-related assemblies and is featured on monthly gifts (earned from purchasing meals) such as trading cards, puzzles and pencil boxes.

Aramark also makes the Spike character available to individual foodservice directors who wish to develop their own initiatives such as health fairs and kitchen tours, says Kerri Dixon, senior marketing manager for Aramark’s School Support Services.

Ideas From Independents

In conjunction with a local art museum’s summer exhibit of Impressionist paintings, Chef Josh Green at the Ponti Seafood Grill in Seattle will showcase French-inspired dishes and wines designed to share a taste of the artists’ lives with guests.

Putting a new spin on traditional wine dinners, one sixtyblue in Chicago invites customers in for “Kicking the Dust off That Bottle Night” once a month. Guests bring in a bottle of wine they’ve been saving for a special occasion, and Wine Director Myron Markewycz and Executive Chef Martial Noguier create a personalized menu around it.

Three-unit concept BluWater Bistro in Seattle cements its status as a neighborhood restaurant by sending $15 gift cards to local residents. The promotion attracts new customers and brings back previous guests, says Co-owner Dan Anderson.