Eat, Memory

Quick, think about a TV commercial. Odds are 7 out of 10 that it’s a spot for food. Nielsen reports that’s the case with the most-liked ads for the month of July. Target was in first place with their lifestyle spot of a busy mom, her preferred chips and juice brands, and the retailer’s cause-related marketing. McDonald’s, Applebee’s, Pizza Hut, and Dr. Pepper are also among the top 10. The McDonald’s spots are two different ones for their McCafe menu; Applebee’s spots are 15 and 30 second pitches for their 2 for $20 menu. Now here’s another pop quiz. Are you starting to see a pattern?

When it came to most-recalled ads in July, again, 7 out 10 were food related with Pizza Hut, Gatorade, KFC, Kool-Aid, McDonald’s, Skittles, and a second Pizza Hut spot among others for low cost insurance and a discount clothier. Are you seeing a pattern now?

Advertising may be the first thing that companies cut back on during a recession but food is somewhat recession proof. Companies with value-added menus would do well to continue to advertise, especially fast food purveyors such as McDonald’s and low cost chains like Applebee’s, KFC, and Pizza Hut. Everybody has to eat, albeit some better than others. People may be dining out less during this recession but when they do, it’s at places where they can do so economically. When you’re spending little to nothing on big ticket items like vacations, a family meal out anywhere becomes a real treat. In the excellent book, “Eat, Memory”, writers report their Proustian remembrances of food including the humblest of all, baked beans.

One of my favorite commercials is for the iconic New York City department store, Barneys. Not because I’m a customer although I have browsed there with my smelling salts at the ready. The spot imagines a young Louis Armstrong, Humphrey Bogart, Fiorello LaGuardia, and Casey Stengel talking about their respective aspirations as musician, actor, mayor, and World Series winner. They all turn to a nattily dressed young man and ask him, “What about you, Barney?” to which the boy replies, “You’re all gonna need clothes.” I was a New York kid myself when I first saw it and because I didn’t have much, I was hungry for more. It was a classic bit of advertising and although it wasn’t for food, it was food for thought.

Cut the Fat

When KFC launched their grilled chicken – with celebrity chef spokespeople and coupons for free chicken on Oprah – brand purists were skeptical. It’s always a little dicey when you veer away from the very thing that has built your brand, indeed, is part of your brand name (fried). But if KFC was crazy, they were crazy like a fox. They announced this week that their earnings went from a negative 7% to a positive 3% in the 2^nd quarter.

They had to know that fans of their chewy, crunchy, coated chicken (okay, now I want some) would never shun it for its svelte sibling, grilled chicken. What they did know was that the sea change towards healthier choices which began with food labeling in restaurants, necessitated if not quite a reinvention then certainly a costume change.

How then to remain true to their brand mission and hard-won equity? Not by adding burgers, or hot dogs, or even lobster as Pizzeria Uno has just announced they’ll do. Why not offer something for those who prefer a healthier choice, simply by adding a variation on your core competency, chicken. Their C.E.O. feels they are well-poised for growth. When looking to extend your brand and increase market share, sometimes the next “new” thing is right in front of you. All you have to do is cut through the fat.