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