Popeyes has Food Marketing Magic

Success comes and goes and when a brand is ‘hot’ it can stay ‘hot’ for quite a while if the marketing team is tuned-in, plugged-in, and focused on consumer relevance according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Popeyes, ‘Bring your own bun’ messaging is on target, on time, and filled with consumer relevance as the undercurrent of ‘buzz’ around its sold-out chicken sandwich is still top of mind for trendy foodies according to Johnson.

The most relevant foodservice trend the past 10 years has been consumers increased demand for Hand Held Food for Immediate Consumption according to Johnson. With 82.3% of all restaurant meals purchased in the US coming from fast food restaurants as regular readers of this blog know.

Popeyes understands hand held food, yet avoided the chicken sandwich for years.  Let’s face it they were slow to evolve. While consumers like their chicken they love sandwiches.  Even more, Popeyes did a great job with flavor, texture, and taste prior to rolling the sandwich out.  Consumers voted with their pocket books and even while it’s sold out, it remains a buzz worthy for foodies.  

Popeyes new marketing campaign designed to buy time until the new sandwich returns are directing guests to (BYOB) bring in their own bun and make a sandwich. Guests are invited to order a three-piece tender and make the infamous sandwich on their own, without the original fixins. Now as regular readers understand this new ad is consumer focused, interactive, and participatory. That’s why it will keep the buzz alive according to Johnson.

Note: Popeyes traffic was up 218% over their previous July numbers according to Pacer.ai’s data analysis. Traffic continued to rise after the sandwich was sold out on August 27^th with the last few days of the month continuing an upward trajectory. Given that our Grocerant Guru® wants to give a shout out to the team at Popeyes for doing a fantastic job.

Are you looking for a new partnership to drive sales? Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing tactics look more like yesterday that tomorrow?  Visit www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information or contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Remember success does leave clues and we just may have the clue you need to propel your continued success.

Dunkin Donuts Refresh Renew Run Menu

Timely menu up-dates add relevance edifying consumers to your brand.  There are times that when the customer has moved more than you brands product and messaging you need a complete refresh according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

When fast food industry icon and industry leader McDonalds extend its breakfast menu from breakfast only to offering breakfast menu items all day long the consumer mindset shifted from coffee shops and donut shops to fast food burger drive-thru’s according to Johnson.

Dunkin' Donuts once the sole leader in the breakfast daypart has elevated its focus to coffee and doughnuts chain wants to be more competitive in all four day-parts. Leveraging the FIVE P’s of food marketing Dunkin’s new menu is leveraging PRICE to drive trial for the new ‘run menu’. They are offering a handful of items for the welcoming price point of $2.

Tony Weisman, Dunkin's U.S. chief marketing officer stated "We know that the 'Dunkin' Run' is a daily part of many of our guests' lives as they keep themselves and their friends running, so we're excited to launch a new menu offering fresh ways to satisfy any craving any time of day,".

The new menu features the chain's new Donut Fries, chicken tenders with a waffle-like coating, Ham and Cheese Roll-Ups using flour tortillas, and Pretzel Bites served with a spicy brown mustard.  For those with a sweet tooth, the menu also includes a gluten-free fudge brownie, as the brand recognizes "the importance of providing alternative choices for people with dietary restrictions," noted Weisman. 

There are times that a new menu simply is not enough to drive top line sales and bottom line profits.  Then you must consider entering one of the four new avenues of distribution the grocerant niche has to offer.

 Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a new menu product segment and brand and menu integration strategy.  Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant/ or twitter.com/grocerant