Page 8 - Going for Growth: Targeting Today's Diverse Consumers

GOING FOR GROWTH: TARGETING TODAY’S DIVERSE CONSUMER 7

DENNY’S FOCUSES ON MULTICULTURAL GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES

An excellent example of a brand that is taking modern marketing seriously is Denny’s. Over
the course of its 66-year history, the brand has been able to position itself as synonymous
with family dining. Chief Brand Offi cer John Dillon provided a look into the company’s brand
revitalization journey, acknowledging that in spite of thriving for decades, over time the
brand had lost its way. “Over the past several years,” said Dillon, “there has been signifi cant
progress, and there’s more to come. We have been embracing and digging deep into redefi ning
the modern American family, which really means understanding and refl ecting the realities of
today—and that means starting with the full extent of the Multicultural opportunities. Diverse
consumers are prioritized from the earliest stages of business planning, and that commitment
to culture has strengthened everything.”

“As America’s Diner,” explained Dillon, “we were expressing a physical and an emotional
benefi t with the ‘Always Open’ idea. We’re open 24 hours and we’re open to connecting family
and friends around a warm meal and a bonding experience.” As the brand’s dimensional
messaging has evolved, the brand’s growth opportunities have also been defi ned in a variety of
ways, including deliverables rooted in measurements related to shifts in emotional behavior.

Launched in May 2019, the chain’s new campaign, “See You at Denny’s,” has already proven to
be an overwhelming success. “We started it with data and insights on our current and lapsed
guests,” Dillon explained. “Ad testing
demonstrated a positive change in
consumers’ interest in coming to
Denny’s because of the new work,
and the results also spoke to a
change in how the advertising made
people feel about Denny’s.” While
specifi c metrics are proprietary,
Dillon did say, “We’ve been highly
encouraged with the results, both in
terms of quantitative performance
Denny’s TV Commercial
“I SEE YOU” and internal and external sentiment.”
“See You at Denny’s” continues the
tradition of purposeful messaging
connecting the physical with the emotional. Dillon’s team created three executions (Total
Market, African-American, and Hispanic) that united nuanced insights-driven creative
executions under a holistic umbrella campaign. For example, the African-American segment
work was instrumental in shaping the new brand message as the idea of “being seen,” or