DDBeat: May 2010

Subway is sending cease-and-desist letters to restaurants…

You know those commercials for Subway’s “five-dollar footlong” subs? Well recently, Subway applied for a trademark on the word “footlong” when it’s used to describe a sandwich. And to show they mean business, they’ve started sending cease-and-desist letters to any restaurants that dare to call their 12-inch sandwiches “footlongs” too.

When the Customer Is in the Neighborhood

Franchise restaurants have long tried to drum up business on the local level with newspaper ads and with mass mailings of coupons and other promotional offers.
But now franchisers have a host of new ways to drive business to individual stores, thanks largely to the explosion in recent years of technologies that recognize a user's location.
Among others: Burger King Holdings Inc. is test-marketing an iPhone application that helps users find its restaurants and view local deals, and Quizno's Corp. and Applebee's International Inc. are readying similar apps.

KFC peppers up with new menu

WHAT is spicy, crunchy yet tender on the inside? It’s Kentucky Fried Chicken’s (KFC) new tantalising Black Pepper Chicken.Created by Yum!, the owner and franchiser of the KFC brand worldwide, the KFC Black Pepper Crunch is double breaded, tender and succulent chicken on bone sprinkled with black pepper and cooked to crunchy golden brown perfection.“We are always challenging ourselves to innovate classic favourites and we think we have a winner with this new product,” said KFC Holdings Malaysia Bhd managing director Jamaludin Md Ali at the launch.

Burger King shortlists three agencies including Publicis, Euro RSCG and Saatchis

SINGAPORE - Burger King is believed to have shortlisted three agencies including Publicis, Euro RSCG and Saatchi & Saatchi for its creative business in Singapore.

It is understood that the agency winning the account will initially be handling the local business which could expand to a regional remit.Andrew Knott, chief digital officer at Euro RSCG, confirmed the agency's involvement. "Of course we are pitching for Burger King, not sure why the other guys are bothering then".

Over the last few weeks, the fast food giant is understood to have been in discussions with several advertising agencies about the direction of its creative account in the market.Incumbent Religion is not believed to be involved.In recent days the fast-food chain has been looking to expand in the city-state.In January, Burger King Singapore reached an agreement to acquire 35 restaurants in Singapore from franchisee Bon-Food. The deal represents the bulk of the 40 Burger King restaurants that Bon-Food currently operates in the Lion City.Following completion of the deal, Burger King Asia-Pacific will operate a total of 39 Burger King restaurants, as well as its Whopper Bar restaurant at ClarkQuay.

McDONALD'S HAPPY MEAL: Doodle

The commercial titled Doodle was done by LEO BURNETT USA advertising agency for McDONALD'S HAPPY MEAL (McDonald's company) in USA. It was released in the May 2010. Business sector is Fast food outlets & restaurants.

The man behind McDonald's new look

Max Carmona is McDonald's senior director for U.S. restaurant design, meaning he's the overseer of the chain's updated look. Carmona, a University of Illinois-trained architect who started at the chain 22 years ago as an intern, manages a team "reimaging" 400 to 500 restaurants this year. Out will go the iconic red mansard roof and cafeteria-style lighting, and in will come a stone or brick exterior and more modern furniture.

McDonald's: Playland

On Monday March 29, commuters arrived in Sydney’s CBD to find a McDonald’s Playland built just for them. Adults were able to play in a way that they hadn’t since childhood. The Playland incorporated retro characters from the past such as a Hamburglar swing, Grimace cage and Fillet-O-Fish bouncers. Built entirely by hand and scaled 2:1, it made adults look and feel like kids again. It had a height of 32 feet, a weight of more than 15 tonnes, and a footprint of over 4,500 square feet. People see "i’m lovin’ it" in all McDonald's ads. This time they felt it.

Happy meals: Why McDonald's has been a positive force for change

The great philosopher John Travolta once observed that, in France, a Quarter Pounder with Cheese is known as a "Royale with Cheese", while they call a Big Mac "Le Big Mac" and allow you to wash it down with beer. That's the "funniest thing" about Europe, he concluded, during the often quoted opening scene of Pulp Fiction: its people have embraced American culture without entirely losing their soul. "A lot of the same shit we got here, they got there. But there, they're just a little bit different."

Another thinker, Thomas Friedman, has also used McDonald's to riff about globalisation. In his bestselling book The Lexus and the Olive Tree, Friedman famously ventured that: "No two countries that both had a McDonald's had fought a war against each other since each got its McDonald's." Once a nation dines under the golden arches, he argued, it buys into freedom, democracy, and the American way. Children who grow up eating Happy Meals would rather spend their lives scoffing mass-produced burgers than making war.

"Russian dolls" print ad for MsDonald's in Canada by Cossette

During the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, the Russia House was located right across the street from a flagship McDonald's location. These Big Mac based on matyroshka, a set of traditional Russian dolls that decrease in size and fit one inside the other, were sent over to welcome them. Inside the final and smallest Big Mac box was a coupon for free food written in Cyrillic. 100s of sets of boxes were then placed in McDonald's take-out bags and dropped off at the Russia House for members of the Russian delegation.

McDonald's: Joe and Frank

McDonald’s has released a new commercial, which is cute, smart, very simple and enjoyable. As a rule, the fast-food chain develops its advertising for young, middle-aged consumers and children and features people of this age in its spots, but this time the company is telling a story about old people, who come to the venue to have a cup of Mc’Coffee.

What the Cluck?

While stunts (moving the secret recipe, taking Colonel Sanders to the U.N. and, most recently, launching the 500-calorie Double Down sandwich) drove buzz and the introduction of grilled chicken spiked short-term sales, the moves also contributed to a lack of consistent brand positioning and a distraction from KFC's flagship product -- both of which have hurt the chain and allowed competitors to creep in and carve out share.

KFC's market share tumbled six full points since 2005 to 30% in 2009, while the category grew from $14.5 billion to $16.1 billion.
Ever-growing threats? Brands such as Chick-fil-A. The much-smaller chain, at least by locations, has built a cult-like following with high-quality sandwiches, better-for-you options, excellent service and clean stores. It now commands 20% of the market with just 1,500 locations. That's less than one-third of KFC's 5,200-store U.S. presence. And Chick-fil-A operates on a six-day week, as its restaurants are closed on Sundays.

Branding consultant Denise Lee-Yohn noted that, for KFC, trumpeting grilled chicken and then promoting products like the Double Down may have muddied the brand. "They don't have a clear identity anymore, and I think that's hurt them," she said.
Harry Balzer of the NPD Group noted that KFC doesn't just need to look out for direct competitors, but also hamburger chains selling chicken sandwiches, and supermarket chains.

Bluetooth marketing trial gives 10% uplift for Burger King

A trial of a Bluetooth enabled advertising campaign for Burger King carried out earlier this year at Luton Airport saw 2265 people download the offer pinged to their phone from a six-sheet billboard in the check-in hall, representing around 10% of people who received the initial Bluetooth nudge, M-Retailing.net understands.

Eat a breast to prevent breast cancer?

Jamie Oliver praises McDonald's

The celebrity television chef criticised gastropubs and said they could learn a lot from the world’s largest chain of hamburger restaurants.
“McDonald’s in the UK is very different compared to the US model – the quality of beef, they only sell free-range eggs, they only sell organic milk, their ethics and recycling is being improved and improved,” Oliver said.

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“And I can’t believe I’m sitting here telling you that McDonald’s UK has come a long way, but actually, it probably puts quite a lot of gastropubs to shame, the amount of work they are doing at the back end."

McDonald's Unveils 'I'm Lovin' It' 2.0

CHICAGO (AdAge.com) -- After more than a year of consumer research and agency brainstorming, McDonald's global chief marketing officer unveiled an updated take on its iconic, 7-year-old "I'm Lovin' It" campaign today before an audience of 15,000 franchisees, marketers and suppliers.

"All across our system, our marketing leaders and agencies in the U.S., Europe, [Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa], Latin America, and Canada, we're building on our multibillion-dollar asset -- 'I'm Lovin It' -- and making it even better," Ms. Dillon told the audience, according to prepared remarks. "We're bringing it out from behind the arches and into the action to better brand and celebrate those uniquely McDonald's moments." New spots end with the tagline appearing by itself, and the arches appearing later.
"Even more importantly," Ms. Dillon continued, "we're making sure that we build both brand equity and drive sales with every piece of advertising." She described an approach that's more authentic, more saturated in consumer insights and emotion, and within "a framework that gives us a consistent point of view about our brand."

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