Best of Marketing
Best Brand Building
Chipotle Positions Itself
on PBS
Chipotle has never before advertised on television. So it is something of a brand masterstroke to find the chain’s first advertising effort supporting the likes of such culturally credentialed folks as Mario Batali and Gwyneth Paltrow on a 10-week PBS culinary tour of Spain. The subtle perfection here is the lack of product placement (or mention) within the show, the implication being that there is too much respect for, well, food with integrity. Bravo (uhhh … PBS, that is).
Best PR (and Manners)
Gatti’s “Apizziation”
A simple note of customer appreciation attached to a pizza box helped to drive sales of a specialty pizza for Austin-headquartered Gatti’s Pizza in a local market test. The note, plus an increased emphasis on responsive service, yielded sales 10 percent above a similar LTO in the preceding year.
Best Partner Promo
Carl’s Jr. & The Dry Cleaning Industry
In conjunction with the February introduction of a Chili Cheese Burger & Fries, Carl’s Jr. and the Drycleaning & Laundry Institute engaged in a co-promotion that involved table tents, window clings, customized dry cleaning bags, a celebrity cleaning guru, and discount coupons at the more than 400 participating dry cleaners in 15 Carl’s Jr. markets.
Best Television Campaign
Zaxby’s “Indescribably Good”
In a world full of haters, noisemakers, and put-down marketing, Georgia-headquartered Zaxby’s chicken chain chose instead to give simple and smart commercials a try. In its ongoing “Indescribably Good” campaign, a wide range of homegrown Southern-born celebrities casually enjoy and spontaneously celebrate featured Zaxby’s chicken products. The true hero shots, though, are captivating close-ups of the food itself.
Best Offense
Domino’s Free Sandwiches for Jareds
As if it wasn’t apparent enough that Domino’s was stepping on Subway’s toes with its new sandwich line, the company had to bring Jared into it. To kick off the September launch, Domino’s offered free Oven Baked Sandwiches to the first 1,000 respondents named Jared. They received thousands of requests, and Jareds in the media had a field day. “We’ve had Jareds coming out of the woodwork,” says Domino’s head of PR, Jenny Fouracre.