Marketing

Popeyes dishes out Netflix login details as fans self-isolate amid coronavirus

 A "Fried Chicken N Chill" campaign will share the brand's username and password with 1,000 Twitter followers.

By Peter Adams • March 24, 2020

Breakfast wars boost QSR traffic 4% in first week of March

Despite the novel coronavirus outbreak, QSR breakfast traffic was up 4% during the week ending March 8, marking the highest gain for the segment in four weeks, according to data from The NPD Group. 

By Alicia Kelso • March 16, 2020

Column

Comic Dive: CMO Shift Change

Marketing leaders are shuffling around in the QSR space, with some executives taking new roles at sister restaurants as competition heats up.

By John Hazard • March 16, 2020

KFC pulls 'finger lickin' ads in UK amid coronavirus concerns

The brand follows Hershey's and Coors in pausing a campaign that may be perceived as insensitive or ill-timed around the pandemic.

By Dianna Christie • March 13, 2020

Wendy's is 1st brand to take over GasBuddy app for breakfast launch

For its push into the early daypart, the branded takeover captures 100% of the app's pre-drive audience as they plan daily errands.

By Robert Williams • March 12, 2020

Taco Bell taps TikTok's vertical video format for TV ad

The effort marks the first time TikTok has partnered with a brand on a national advertising campaign and references trends on the app, like "eboys."

By Peter Adams • March 10, 2020

Wingstop pays fans to be walking billboards

The fast-food joint is transferring its OOH budget to loyal fans, giving Instagrammers who wear the special branded merchandise $10 via Venmo.

By Dianna Christie • March 10, 2020

Buffalo Wild Wings nixes experiential sleepover for March Madness

Dubbed BnB-Dubs, the activation would have let basketball fans enter to win an Airbnb-style sleepover in a Chicago location.

By Dianna Christie , Natalie Koltun • UPDATED: March 17, 2020 at 4:49 p.m.

Jimmy John's names Sonic's Darin Dugan as CMO

Dugan replaces John Shea, who served in the role for just over two years, and follows several management shuffles by parent company Inspire Brands.

By Robert Williams • March 06, 2020

Deep Dive

Will loyalty programs gain renewed value in a cookie-less era?

Brands from Red Lobster to Sephora are revisiting their rewards strategies amid tighter ad-targeting restrictions and greater demands for data privacy.

By Shane Schick • March 05, 2020

Arby's names P&G's Patrick Schwing as CMO

Schwing previously led the global interactivity and innovation group at Oral-B, P&G's consumer dental care brand. ​

By Robert Williams • March 04, 2020

Dunkin' drafts 'Cheer' star for Instagram sweepstakes

Gabi Butler, the all-star cheerleader who appears in the Netflix docu-series, will post a special "Dunkin' cheer" to the company's account.

By Robert Williams • March 04, 2020

Wendy's cooks up social media buzz with new breakfast menu campaign

In 36 hours, the QSR received more than 10,000 follower requests after locking its Twitter account in the run-up to this week's launch for its breakfast menu.

By Robert Williams • March 03, 2020

Wendy's breakfast challenges rival offerings

In the wake of Wendy's nationwide breakfast launch Monday, McDonald's offered diners free Egg McMuffins and Burger King pushed its Croissan'wich on Twitter.

By Julie Littman • March 02, 2020

Sonic Drive-In shifts away from '2 Guys' to showcase real families

The chain's first work with new agency Mother includes a brand identity refresh that focuses on real people.

By Dianna Christie • March 02, 2020

KFC Canada tests Google's food ordering service

By saying, "Hey Google, order food from KFC," Google Assistant will wake up to take an order.

By Robert Williams • Feb. 26, 2020

Burger King's moldy Whopper ad sparks visceral reactions, but scores on subversion

An analysis found the gross-out concept underperformed in areas such as stoking desire, but successfully captured attention above category benchmarks.

By Peter Adams • Feb. 25, 2020

Column

Campaign Trail: McDonald's type-only ads illustrate the power of visual identity

Omitting the golden arches and recognizable burger imagery, the minimalist creative flexes the fast-food behemoth's iconic status.

By Natalie Koltun • Feb. 24, 2020

Chili's wants you to 'laugh so hard you pee a little' with new campaign

Focusing on its on-premise experience, the Brinker International chain dabbles in ASMR, experiential marketing and more.

By Dianna Christie • Feb. 20, 2020

Burger King promotes moldy Whopper as part of 'real food' push

A subversive video celebrating the removal of artificial preservatives from the Whopper shows a time-lapse of a burger rotting.

By Peter Adams • Feb. 19, 2020

Sweetgreen taps celeb chef David Chang to promote new sustainable salad

The Momofuku founder stars in a humorous video series alongside fish puppets to discuss the new environmentally friendly kelp offering.

By Dianna Christie • Feb. 18, 2020

Starbucks names new CMO focused on bridging physical, digital experience

In his prior roles at the company, 18-year veteran Brady Brewer helped guide areas like delivery and mobile app offerings.

By Peter Adams • Feb. 14, 2020

OpenTable loyalty perk helps diners land hard-to-book restaurants

Its Dining Points can now be used to book popular places during peak dining times, extending a feature originally introduced in November to Capital One cardholders. 

By Alicia Kelso • Feb. 12, 2020

KFC, Crocs strut fried chicken-themed clogs at New York Fashion Week

Collaborative footwear featuring scented drumstick charms will be available to consumers this spring.

By Peter Adams • Feb. 12, 2020

Denny's pilots Yelp Store Visits to measure physical store foot traffic

The platform also introduced Showcase Ads, a video-centric format for national marketers to highlight seasonal promotions.

By Robert Williams • Feb. 12, 2020