The Brand Landscape

Usually captivated by the variety of food, I had never noticed The Cheesecake Factory history on the first page before. I loved the chance to read it because I have been a fan for a long, long time–since 1984, to be exact, when I was visiting friends in Beverly Hills.

That first location was a funky little place, half the size that it is now. But my most vivid memory is the massive bakery case and the wonderful array of cheesecakes. Having eaten there again a couple of years ago with the same friend, the core of what I remembered was the same–the food, the quality and the service.

That first location has grown into the space next door and the interior elements in the additional space mirror the décor elements of more recent locations around the country, but the core remains the same.

In a world where thousands of restaurants fail each year, what allows a brand to withstand the test of time?

I was reminded of a television commercial I saw last week for another brand that has withstood the test of time: Wendy’s. The commercial was for Wendy’s 40th anniversary. It seems impossible.

I remember their first location too. I had a summer job in the building next to that first Wendy’s location in downtown Columbus. We knew it was special even then. Yes, we actually did think it was “way better than fast food.” Wendy’s stood out from the competition then by offering big square burgers.

No offense to the small square burgers, now ubiquitous, that Columbus’ White Castle has made legendary. With over 80 years in business, White Castle is yet another brand that has withstood the test of time.

What made these brands survive the test of time? What, if anything, do these brands have in common?

I think the secret lies in something that Phil Romano shared with Max & Erma’s executive team when I invited him in to talk to us about branding years ago. He pointed out that we needed to identify what was “core” to the concept and make sure that we maintained that strong core. Innovation should happen around the edges. It made sense to me then. It makes sense to me now.

Cheesecake Factory’s addition of small plates and luncheon specials, Wendy’s new Boneless Buffalo Wings, and White Castle’s addition of BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders all reflect that “innovation around the edges” that keeps a brand fresh while protecting the core. The customer owns the brand. Protecting the core allows great brands to keep their promise and keep it fresh.

Until next time, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

I just went back and looked at Jack in the Box’s viral campaign from earlier this year thanks to Christa’s comment yesterday. All I can say is: I rest my case…

What’s not to love?

I visited http://www.hangintherejack.com about Jack’s being hit by a bus and his subsequent recovery. I know it may sound perverse, but I confess, I found it hilarious. I especially loved the attempted corporate takeover by his #2 guy-Phil-who wants to change the company name to Phil in the Box.

If you haven’t seen it yet, curl up with your laptop when you have a few minutes…highlights for me included the X-ray of Jack’s giant head and the priceless double entendre referencing Jack’s “massive head trauma,” a play on words Jack fans of all ages can enjoy.

Christa points out that experts differed on the campaign’s ROI, which I think underscores both the necessity of trying to measure results and the difficulty of doing so. As you might know, I feel strongly about evaluating marketing initiatives. My what-I-have-learned-about-restaurant-marketing Lesson #3 is, “Never confuse effort with results.” And while I think it is critical to measure results, I think measuring new media by old measuring devices may be problematic.

• The one important aspect in traditional advertising is the residual effect of the advertising. How does the level of customer engagement and connection of a viral effort of this kind compare to the residual effect of seeing a 30-second television spot? I think we are just now beginning to understand this kind of thing for viral efforts of this type.
• Establishing a baseline, refining it and building on success is the approach that will give companies the experience and expertise to develop viral campaigns that do move the needle.
• The years and years of measuring and refining the use of television advertising…both the medium and the message…have raised it from guesswork to a pretty reliable workhorse.
• I think the same thing will happen with viral campaigns as marketers develop best practices.

Clearly, this campaign underscores my belief that if you want to get people to talk about you, you have to give them something to talk about…

I’m still talking about it.

But, I think content is something of a double-edged sword relative to viral marketing…how do marketers make the content compelling without being contrived. Consumers have become inured to contrived messages, no matter how clever they may be. That’s part of what is so compelling about live TV or NASCAR or American Idol or ordering the off-menu chef special or “Reality TV”…it’s unpredictable, fresh, new, a little out of control and maybe even participative. That’s the cool thing about it and people are drawn to the “cool” factor. What’s the return on that investment?

Until next time, let me know your thoughts.