“Waaaay Better Than Fast Food.” That’s how Wendy’s® (NYSE: WEN) is positioned in a new food-centric advertising campaign set to debut on national television in the U.S. next week.
The advertising campaign, unveiled today at Wendy’s National Convention in Orlando, features lingering, mouth-watering photography of Wendy’s premium quality food.
Wendy’s current “That’s Right™” campaign – with consumers donning red wigs as a symbol of enlightenment – has generated considerable attention for the brand, but has not sufficiently driven performance.
“We must raise the bar in 2008,” said Chief Executive Officer and President Kerrii Anderson. “To reinvigorate sales growth, we are executing our strategic plan, focusing on strengthening operations, launching new products and taking decisive action.”
“Our quality food will be the hero of our advertising once again. This evolution of our advertising approach is based on extensive consumer research over the last eight months, working in close collaboration with our agency partners and our franchise advertising committee,” Anderson said. “This effort has been driven by a clear understanding of our brand strategy and hallmarks of quality, freshness and honesty.”
The new campaign from Wendy’s agency partner, kirshenbaum bond + partners, still leverages red-hair iconography, but does so in a way that is more genuine and true to the Wendy’s brand. ad
Each television spot opens and closes with an animated version of the Company’s familiar logo – the enduring image of Wendy, a red-headed, little girl.
“The Wendy icon stands for wholesome authenticity and honest quality,” said Jon Bond, chairman of kirshenbaum bond + partners. “It’s one of the most powerful, under-used assets in the consumer world today.”
“Unlike most logos, Wendy does not remain static in the new advertising. She opens each ad in a simple, surprising way that highlights the menu item being promoted in the commercial,” said Bob Holtcamp, Wendy’s vice president of brand marketing.
“For example, she holds up a fishing rod to introduce our new hand-cut, North Pacific cod, fish sandwiches. In other ads, she’ll take a small bite out of a hamburger; clutch a small piggy bank to promote our Super Value Menu®; and do other things that open our ads with a wink and a smile.”
Each ad ends with a voice saying, “It’s waaaay better than fast food. It’s Wendy’s.”
Wendy, depicted in the logo, is the daughter of Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas, who named the restaurant chain after her. She was eight when the first Wendy’s restaurant opened in 1969.
The new campaign will be fully integrated with radio, outdoor, on-line and store merchandising components.
In addition to kirshenbaum bond + partners, Wendy’s other advertising agency partners include: Saatchi & Saatchi and Vidal Partners (Hispanic advertising). MediaVest handles Wendy’s national media planning and buying.
Wendy’s International, Inc. overview
Wendy’s International, Inc. is one of the world’s largest and most successful restaurant operating and franchising companies.
Wendy’s recently received brand, food and operations accolades from:
1. Zagat Survey®, a leading global provider of consumer survey content, which named Wendy’s in 2007 as having the best hamburgers in the quick-service restaurant industry. In addition, Wendy’s ranked first among quick-service “mega-chains” (i.e., those with at least 5,000 outlets) for food, facilities and popularity.
2. The 2007 American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) survey, produced by the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross Business School, ranked Wendy’s in the top spot for customer satisfaction in the “limited service restaurants” category.
3. QSR® Magazine’s 2007 Consumer Survey rated Wendy’s as consumers’ favorite quick-service restaurant (QSR) for the second-straight year.
4. Speedy service earned Wendy’s the top spot for fastest drive-thru times once again, according to QSR Magazine’s 2007 Drive-Thru Study.
