Wendy’ (WEN) – Get Wendy’s Company Report used classic marketing tactics when it launched its breakfast menu. It targeted the leader in the space and built its marketing around saying that it had a better offering.
The company took out billboards in New York’s Time Square making fun of McDonald’s (MCD) – Get McDonald’s Corporation Report breakfast offering while also running television ads that painted its rival as having a tired, outdated menu that wasn’t fresh or inspired. The company made it very clear that it was trying to take down the leader with comments Chief Marketing Officer Carl Loredo made, which TheDrum.com reported.
“To date, some others in the category have let breakfast consumers down by offering breakfast sandwiches with frozen, folded eggs and pre-cooked bacon. Today, all that changes,” he said. “We are known for our high-quality food and breakfast is no different. Try any of our craveable items – we believe this menu will become your favorite.”
That’s not subtle. Wendy’s called out McDonald’s and laid down a challenge. It was a bold effort to get attention at the expense of an established rival.
It both worked and it didn’t.
McDonald’s Answered the Breakfast Challenge
The McMuffin, McGriddle, and the well-loved Big Breakfast commit all the sins Wendy’s called out in its ads. Consumers, however, don’t seem to care. McDonald’s may use pre-cooked, less-than-fresh ingredients, but they do so in a familiar way that people love.
Wendy’s thought it was trolling its rival over the perceived problems with its breakfast menu but it actually did sort of the opposite. The chain’s ads did succeed in letting consumers know it offers breakfast, but they also reminded them that McDonald’s does as well.
McDonald’s CEO Christopher Kempczinski did not name his company’s rival, but he made it very clear in a late-2021 earnings call that Wendy’s efforts to take down the market leader had failed.
Scroll to Continue
“Our breakfast business is performing well,” he said, “In Q4, our…
Read complete post here:
Source link
Wanda Beck
View More PostsWanda Beck is a technology reporter who covers the intersection of business and crypto. A native of Boston, Wanda spent almost five years at The Boston25News, where she wrote extensively about the media industry's struggle to adapt to the Internet.
