Beall's Pink Flamigo Day Field Marketing

BEALL'S NATIONAL PINK FLAMINGO DAY PROMOTION

This weekend's field marketing adventures were filled with a Florida heat wave, gulf coast humidity, and many, many Flamingos. Well sorta, more like the plastic lawn ornaments that scream Americana. This weekend was also an exciting one for me in that I had the opportunity to execute a PR stunt outside of my Central Florida region and for Beall's Retail Stores, a client that I do not typically assist.

The Dalton Agency staff successfully executed a Florida wide PR stunt that incorporated field marketing, interactive, and traditional media relations. The Dalton Team came together to execute the placement of 100 pink flamingos at several stores in the Tampa Bay area in celebration of National Pink Flamingo Day. Real Estate signs were also placed at each location urging anyone looking for some last minute Father's Day Deals to visit HappyPinkFlamingoDay.com to download a coupon to save $10 on any purchase of $50 or more, which is a pretty good deal considering the tough economic times. The stunt was a success in that it was picked up by several deal outlets including Dealio, Fat Wallet, Digg, several publications including Treasure Coast Palm, and Tampa Bay News Station Channel 10.
There were many logistic challenges that the Dalton Team overcame to pull this one off for our client, Beall's, however it was a huge success and Over all this stunt was a ton of fun and a big success.

On a personal note, it was almost refreshing to get out of the Orlando area to execute an event. With so much going on with the extremely fast paced, ever changing world of the Central Florida McDonald's account, it was fun to have the chance to execute in a market that I am not as intimately associated with as I am in Orlando.

PROJECT TRIPLE F - Florida-Flamingo Fun: COMPLETED.

KFC Promotion Sparks Civil Rights Style Protest

Oprah's KFC free-for-all sparks civil rights

era-style protest. Wonderful.

May 6, 2009, 07:10 PM | EW.com - by Christine Spines

Categories: Food and Drink, Oprah Winfrey

Earlier today, a hungry mob of New Yorkers (the millennial generation's version of an angry mob) staged a '60s-style sit-in at a Manhattan KFC restaurant. Why? They were protesting the store manager's refusal to honor coupons for the fast food chain's new grilled chicken courtesy of the karma-grubbing cultural icon Oprah Winfrey. Funny and absurd, sure. But I can't help but see this kerfuffle as evidence of either the beginning of the end of all that's good in the world or (pause for sip of Obama-flavored Kool-Aid) the return of power-to-the-people engagement.

The obvious response is to look at the entitlement of those free-chicken seekers as crass and pathetic. I mean, how could any fast food really be worth generating a storm of righteous indignation? And what about that Scrooge-like, power-crazed KFC store manager, who allegedly refused to play along and serve up the finger lickin' goodness to which anyone with an Internet connection is entitled. These are tough times and cheap thrills are hard to come by, much less free ones. That's tough medicine.

But how is it that chicken inspires the kind of politicized grass-roots action that hardly anybody mustered in the face of nonstop indignities (stuff like White House-approved torture, corporate corruption, and the demise of newsprint)? Does this mean that we're still capable of getting mad as hell and not taking it anymore? Or does it mean that nobody can be bothered unless it involves a free lunch? What's your take on what this means for the future of humanity -- or the power of Oprah -- PopWatchers?

Photo Credit: Oprah Winfrey: Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage.com

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.

B-BOY MICKEY MOUSE

[Caption]So I'm surfing along when I come up to this crazy video of the mouse himself breaking down some crazy dance moves! to think this was at one time my boss is pretty funny to me! I'm sure that Disney wasn't too crazy about the display of urban expression, however it is a great example of a brand interacting with the consumer in a non-traditional way. Mickey Mouse gots moves! Kudos old boss!