May 16, 2008
Early last summer Wendy's, the historically conservative burger chain, took a chance on a bold, new media campaign. In a TV ad introduced on American Idol and clearly targeted at the 18-to-34- year-old fast-food-loving demographic, a forest full of tree kickers were confronted by a young male in a comical Wendy's red-pigtailed wig. That spot kick started Wendy's eight–month–long "That's Right" campaign, which featured a variety of young (mostly) male actors wearing the "enlightening" wig, showing one didn't have to thoughtlessly follow the crowd whether they were kicking trees, huffing helium, or eating singing hamburgers.
Bob Garfield, Advertising Age's estimable ad critic, praised the initial effort in a column titled "Wendy's Red Wig Ad: Close To Perfect." Plus, in the first three weeks after the ad's appearance it was selected for viewing on YouTube some 800,000 times. IGA Research, an influential ad-tracking outfit, gave the effort high marks for recall and brand recognition, pronouncing the tree-kicking commercial the "most liked" restaurant ad among consumers for that quarter.
Still, there was little surprise when the red-wig campaign got prematurely barbered at the Wendy's national convention held during the first weekend of February. The reason advanced by corporate executives for the cancellation of the campaign was simply that the media effort, although admittedly an awareness raiser, was simply not driving traffic or sales. And truly, what better reason can one have for ending a marketing campaign?
Even so, we're talking about a company that's last major icon was "Mr. Wendy" (remember the unofficial spokesman who annoyed his neighbors with a bullhorn?), and so the cancellation of a campaign that actually had some vibe for its target audience deserves a little consideration. Kerrii Anderson, Wendy's CEO, let a few fries out of the bag when she told a group of financial analysts on a fourth-quarter call that the campaign was "polarizing" and that "we can't be something that we're not." Anyone who had been paying attention all along, though, might have caught the earlier insider drift when Lorraine (Mrs. Dave) Thomas told USA Today that the tree-kicking ad was "idiotic … the worst thing I've ever seen."
Wendy's late great founder, Dave Thomas, passed away in 2002, but it is still hard to think of him as anything but the man at the heart of the brand. To consider Wendy's culture without Dave Thomas is like recounting the history of the Civil War without any regard to Abraham Lincoln. To family, friends, and long-time franchisees the introduction of a campaign that feels at odds with the folksy, quality- minded Dave is clearly a sin.
It might only be a dim irony, but many will not remember that Dave Thomas was a reluctant, awkward, and largely ineffective spokesman when he started appearing in Wendy's commercials in the early 1980s. Back then the tagline was "Ain't no reason to go anyplace else," and Dave seemed uncomfortable with the words. It took the better part of two decades and 800-plus commercials to develop the charming, uncomplicated no-nonsense Dave persona, a guy who gave the impression of living for the opportunity of serving you a great sandwich and whom you might suspect of occasionally sleeping in a Wendy's back booth.
The relevance here is that the Wendy's culture, as best typified by Dave Thomas, is one that has been built on a respectful consideration of time's passage. As much as Wendy's pigtails are fundamental to the chain's culture, so is the phrase "Old Fashioned." That's how the chain has always described its hamburgers. The chain's franchise group, the Old Fashioned Franchise Association, is a constant reminder of the sort of people who built up the Wendy's business and who still hold considerable sway in matters of brand identity.
Today, of course, few marketers are afforded the luxury of time when it comes to brand building or producing sales results. Dan Dahlen, executive vice president of IGA Research, agrees that in today's market, "Monday's strategic communication is expected to drive sales on Wednesday," and that "same-store sales increases will always make a lot of issues go away." Although he certainly stands by the results IGA obtained while tracking the red-wig ads, particularly their popularity with the target demographic, he suspects that a "strategic error" was made by the chain in not offering a strong-enough product pitch or selling proposition. He explains, "The ads were liked; there just wasn't a reason to get in your car and drive down to Wendy's."
Ultimately, though, Dahlen probably hits the nail on the head when he points out that Wendy's is a company in transition and up for sale. Part of the reason, one can venture to guess, is that the vested culture of Wendy's, the one in which a beloved founder is afforded 800 takes to get it right, is in conflict with the culture of present times, where cool and cocky instant gratification holds sway in the court of public consumption. In the end, the 18-to-34-year-olds will probably one day get to play a cultural trump card, but it's not going to happen at Wendy's right now. Although, who knows, by the time you read this, a new CEO and CMO might have already gotten Wendy's 2.0 underway.
