Denny's Trots Out Another Freebie - Advertising Age - News

Denny's Trots Out Another Freebie - Advertising Age - News

Denny's Trots Out Another Freebie
Chain Asks Customers to Bring in a Friend for Breakfast

By Emily Bryson York

Published: April 01, 2009

CHICAGO (AdAge.com) -- If it worked once, why not again?

That seems to be the thinking behind another promotional stunt from Denny's. The fast-casual restaurant is asking its faithful to bring a friend who could use a free meal, positioning the freebie as a "random act of kindness" it "hopes will spread across the country." Friends loyal enough to bring a friend April 8 between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. can score a free Grand Slamwich for their pals when they spring for a Grand Slam.
Denny's: Grand Slamwich
Denny's Grand Slamwich is being introduced with a giveaway.

Denny's plans to drum up interest with a TV spot, breaking tomorrow, from agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. It will also have "prime placement" during next Monday's NCAA basketball championship. The chain is taking the opportunity to introduce the Grand Slamwich, a grilled sandwich made with potato bread, scrambled eggs, shaved ham, hash browns, bacon, mayo, American cheese and a "maple-spice" spread, for $4.99. Denny's original Grand Slam is eggs, pancakes bacon and sausage.

The chain is building on a February giveaway that drew 2 million people, and appeared to increase buzz for Denny's, according to Brand Index. Denny's drew attention to that promotion with its first Super Bowl ad . These stepped-up marketing efforts followed the chain's decision to move its creative business to Goodby last December, from Publicis Mid America, Dallas.

According to TNS Media Intelligence, Denny's spent about $71 million in measured media during 2008. That's up about 13% from an $63 million during 2007. The figures do not include internet or national spot-radio ad spending.

In an interview with Ad Age following the giveaway, Denny's chief marketer, Mark Chmeil, said the chain's hot line had been nearly overwhelmed with grateful consumers. "We didn't realize how much people would appreciate it," he said. Mr. Chmiel added that Denny's used the opportunity to show consumers how much the restaurants had changed since their last visit: They now have a new late night menu and breakfast to go.

"Denny's was absolutely blown away by the tens of thousands of e-mails and phone calls we received from customers thanking us for our generosity at a time when stories of corporate greed scream from the headlines. The stories we heard made us literally cry ... they were so moving," Denny's CEO Nelson Marchioli said in a press release.

Such giveaways seem to be part of a growing body of marketing that fills a consumer need, as opposed to efforts that entertain or are tied to a specific cause. KFC, for instance, announced plans last week to fill potholes in four U.S. cities. After starting in the company's hometown of Louisville, Ky., up to three more cities will be selected at random.

"This marketing effort fosters trial of our brand new Grand Slam product, the Grand Slamwich, and it once again helps people who could use some good news right now," Mr. Marchioli said. "We want to continue to connect with today's consumers who we know have lots of choices and limited dollars ... we want there to always be a reason to visit Denny's."

Need a Pothole Filled in Your City? Call KFC - Advertising Age - News

Chain Offers to Repair Streets in Exchange for Leaving Its Mark on Pavement

By Emily Bryson York

Published: March 25, 2009

Taken from Ad Age. 3.25.09

CHICAGO (AdAge.com) -- Don't be surprised if you see Col. Sanders out filling potholes. In an unusual cause-marketing push, KFC is tackling the pothole problem in Louisville, Ky. in exchange for stamping the fresh pavement with "Re-freshed by KFC," a chalky stencil likely to fade away in the next downpour.

While KFC seems more suited to pot pies than potholes, the company is likely to build a reservoir of goodwill among the general population.

"This program is a perfect example of that rare and optimal occurrence when a company can creatively market itself and help local governments and everyday Americans across the country," said Javier Benito, exec VP-marketing and food innovation at KFC. Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson noted in a statement that budgets are tight for cities across the country, and finding funding for road repairs is a dirty job. "It's great to have a concerned corporation like KFC create innovative private/public partnerships like this pothole refresh program."

The KFC program appears to be part of a growing body of consumer-service marketing that connects in a meaningful way. This past holiday season, Charmin provided a public restroom in Times Square for the third year running. The company has also developed an application for iPhone and BlackBerry that helps consumers find toilets when the need arises. Samsung has installed electrical charging stations in many major airports to help travelers stay connected while in limbo.

Creating goodwill
Perhaps most importantly, while KFC seems more suited to pot pies than potholes and efforts like these are unlikely to sell chicken sandwiches in the short term, the company is likely to build a reservoir of goodwill among the general population -- particularly when they arrive at the pothole they've gotten used to swerving around.

Jens Bang, president of Cone, a Boston-based cause branding and corporate responsibility firm, said that recent scandals on Wall Street and in the banking industry have built up consumer skepticism, and "corporate marketers have to be concerned about building trusted relationships with their core stakeholders." Given the state of things, Mr. Bang said that corporations are looking to cause marketing for a variety of reasons. "Marketers are looking to use cause marketing or cause branding to look for opportunities to do a few things, build brand equity, enhance reputation. And it's also a big benefit to morale, it's a big help in recruitment and retention."

"Fresh" campaign
KFC decided to "Re-fresh" city streets as a tie-in to its new "fresh" campaign, which focuses on food quality. "It was always our plan to make our hometown of Louisville the first city for the program," KFC spokesman Rick Maynard said, adding that pothole-fixing season was an additional impetus. "The mayor was very excited about the program and even stopped by yesterday afternoon when the crew was refreshing the first bunch of potholes."

In addition to the Louisville project, KFC has issued an open offer to U.S. mayors to tell them about the state of their city streets and request assistance. The chain will select as many as four more cities at random for pothole assistance.

Some marketers have made more overt efforts to help the disadvantaged. Starbucks spent a week in New Orleans with its store operators in an effort to rebuild the city. The organization donated about 400,000 community-service hours and was quickly repaid in scads of free media. Shoe company Toms built its business on the premise that for every pair of shoes purchased, one would be given to a child in a developing country. The company planned to donate 200,000 pairs of shoes in 2008 alone.

Brands using Social network Twitter; as medium

TRACKING TWITTER

The Electric Artists Twitter Tracker is a real-time listing of the top media, entertainment, and consumer product feeds we’re currently following on Twitter. Electric Artists is a leading digital brand management and strategy agency. We help our clients create and connect communities online.

~ Electric Artists, New York, NY

Some of the world's largest brands have switched gears from traditional forms of advertising and are now beginning to use non-traditional forms of creating awareness using an "interpersonal" way of "connecting" with the consumer proving that we should all be listening to the "tweets" around us.