Take an original branded video series, mix in some co-branded sponsorship slots, and toss with a dose of good old-fashioned TV advertising and what you get is Wendy’s latest ad campaign.
Wendy's new Taco Supremo salad
The QSR chain is hoping to hit a marketing sweet spot to help launch its new salads to a broad range of consumers.
Launching March 24, “Girlfriends at Wendy’s Eating Salad and Talking About Stuff” is an unscripted YouTube show featuring two women chatting about everyday things(fashion, fitness, dating and relationships) while eating Wendy’s salads.
The public will then be invited to join an online conversation about the topics under discussion.
According to Dave Stubbs, vice-president and group creative director at MacLaren MRM (the agency behind the work), there’s been a big push to make Wendy’s a more social brand.
“One of the last activations we did was a short video series for the launch of pretzel bacon cheese burger… It was our first foray into video ads and it did really well. We got great feedback through social channels, so we said ‘let’s take it a step further with the launch of the salad collection.’”
The long-form of the web series allows deeper engagement than the shorter ads, says Stubbs. “These are mini shows so [they] can really use the social space… It is a very important part of any communications package for the marketplace, and it’s critical not to just put content out there, but something with a message and something people can talk about and engage with.”
The show is completely unscripted, says Stubbs. “We gave the women topics we wanted them to talk about, turned the cameras on them and they bantered back and forth.” In the end, two women rose to the top, getting the job because “they were really fun to talk to, and had a great ability to pick up on any topic and create sound bites around it.”
Stubbs contends that social engagement is hugely important for Wendy’s.
Apart from the web series, the campaign includes 15-second and 30-second TV spots that re running nationally until mid-May and a 30-second radio spot that will run in British Columbia from April 21 until mid-May.
There’s also a four-week promotional partnership that will see the salads featured on CTV’s daytime talk show The Social. In a co-branded effort, hosts Cynthia Loyst, Traci Melchor and Lainey Lui will eat the salads in 30-second spots after the show. They will also push consumers to YouTube and Facebook so they can continue to follow their conversations online.
Although it seems like the campaign is marketed primarily to females, that’s not the case, says Robin LeGassicke, VP, client business, MacLaren M2 Universal
“We are absolutely looking to target a broad market and not focus too much on one segment of society,’ says LeGassicke. The girlfriend messaging speaks to women, but the media supporting it will reach a broader audience, and the flavour profile of the salads too is wide.”
The brand has been working hard to transform itself since 2012 when it updated its logo after 29 years. The new range of chef-inspired salads – the Asian Cashew Chicken Salad, the BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad and the Taco Supremo Salad – are just one component of the brand’s ongoing transformation including the re-imaging of restaurants with a bold, contemporary look; new crew uniforms; consumer-preferred menu boards; and new packaging.
The salads are now available at Wendy’s restaurants nationwide as part of the permanent menu.
