With more than a third of sales for casual restaurants coming through takeout orders, it was only a matter of time before more chains started to use advertising to spread the word.
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Columbus, Ohio-based Bob Evans Restaurants is the latest. And it won’t be the last.
Following in the footsteps of chains like Outback and Chili’s, Bob Evans, which built its business on breakfast, is rolling out a new campaign promoting its “Carry Home Kitchen” service.
A new ad spot, launching this week by Chicago’s Chicago Creative Partnership, is a departure from the familiar strategy of targeting consumers who take time to go out to a Bob Evans restaurant. Instead, it targets time-starved consumers and, more important, a rather unfamiliar demographic for Bob Evans: young, childless, dual-income couples who frequently use dine-out facilities.
The focus of the new 30-second ad is a young couple who after a day of home repairs decides to break for dinner. The husband heads to Bob Evans to pick up the meal, playing off of Bob Evans’ theme of “simple celebrations.”
“Given busier lifestyles and a tighter economy, consumers are demanding more convenience and value,” said Scott Colwell, senior vice president of marketing for Bob Evans.
“Carry Home Kitchen has proved to be a very important component of our sales mix, contributing the largest growth of any dining segment over the past several years. Our decision to support it … was based upon our interest in increasing its role and contribution without impacting or eroding our core in-restaurant business.”
The new campaign will be a significant part of the chain’s overall marketing mix.
Kraft sells candy brands: In an expected move, Kraft Foods North America said it was selling its Now and Later, Intense Fruit Chews and Mighty Bite brands to Farley’s & Sathers Candy Co. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. Betsy Holden, Kraft’s co-CEO, said the brands no longer fit in the company’s product portfolio.
United splits with Zenith: As expected, United Airlines and its main media-buying firm, Publicis Groupe’s Zenith Media, have parted ways. While Fallon, Minneapolis, retains creative, media planning and some domestic buying, United director of worldwide communications, Jerry Dow, said the carrier will look within the Publicis network for a replacement.
Burnett shakes out with P&G: The first real test as to where Leo Burnett USA sits in the agency hierarchy under new parent Publicis likely will be revealed Friday. Publicis and Procter & Gamble will announce the realignment of P&G brands within the Publicis organization following the dissolution of former Procter agency D’Arcy. Don’t expect a windfall of billings to the Chicago agency. Look for Saatchi & Saatchi to be the big winner, most likely nabbing the lucrative Crest brands, as well as the Folgers coffee business.
Leo Burnett likely will pick up several, if not all, of the health-care brands, which tend to have moderate advertising budgets, at best. Pepto-Bismol likely will return to the agency, and it also likely will pick up Vicks and Nyquil, among others.
Saatchi was expected to do well in the reorganization, considering that Saatchi worldwide CEO Kevin Roberts was leading the committee that oversaw the reorganization.
Walgreen’s/Trib TV show dead: After much ballyhoo, a weekly TV newsmagazine collaboration between the Tribune Co. and Walgreen has ended up on the cutting-room floor. The two decided to pull the plug on Walgreen’s sponsorship of “Walgreen’s Presents RX TV” after both sides determined that they couldn’t do a show they both could be happy with, said David Murphy, president of Tribune Media Net. The show, which was to pull in medical reports from various Tribune television stations, was to be produced out of Tribune’s Media Center in Washington, D.C. Tribune had retained editorial control of the program. The program was part of a major cross-media advertising package announced by Tribune Media Net this fall.
Burnett’s Conrad to retire: Michael Conrad, 58, the internationally respected chief creative officer of Leo Burnett Worldwide, announced his retirement on Thursday in a move that had been expected for months. He will remain a consultant with the agency but turns over the role officially Jan. 1 to his deputy, Miguel Angel Furones, 53. Conrad helped build a respect for Burnett’s international work during the past several years.