Even though the “Good Mood Food” Arby’s ad campaign turns my stomach, Arby’s seems to be doing well.
Arby’s made some changes. They started putting some new things on their menu…and continued to make good fast food (good compared to greasy burgers). A good sandwich is my favorite food…and Arby’s sandwiches rock. Just like Jimmy John’s. : )
I believe that sometimes a company gets in a rut and needs to re-introduce themselves to the public. Arby’s needed that. The “Good Mood Food” campaign might not be the best fit for them…but it made everyone actually pay attention to their ads for once. That’s a win.
When you have ads that get ignored, and then switch gears to something totally un-ignorable…you’re going to see some action. People are going to think of you when they never did in the past. People are going to think of you more often.
Image courtesy of “Pixomar” / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
When I need food fast, an Arby’s sandwich always seems like a little bit healthier choice versus a greasy burger.
But a good ad campaign doesn’t make a good business. Arby’s has great products, and from my experience, always great service. That’s the first step that many businesses fail to understand. A marketing campaign will not save a bad business. You need to provide something good first…then advertise the hell out of it (especially when you have vipers for competitors).
Could they have come up with something a little less “fingernails on the chalkboard” for an ad campaign? Of course. But it made people take notice. And it helped them jump onto a bunch of people’s top 5 list for fast food. Which in the restaurant biz, I feel that if you’re not in the top 5 of “top of mind” you get ignored at least twice as much.
“Where do you wanna eat?”
“Ummm… how ’bout this?”
“No.”
“This?”
“No.”
“Ok, here?”
“You bet.”
We just don’t go through too many eating options in our minds before we settle on a place. We do it every day and it gets old. We’d rather make it easy for ourselves and just have a small handful of fast “top picks” to choose from.
A year ago…Arby’s wasn’t on my Top 5. Today, they are. Now, I eat it once every couple of weeks instead of once every couple of months. So, the ad campaign worked.
Ads are weird. You can’t be afraid to offend a few people. Sometimes you just need to get noticed. But there is a line you can cross into too much weirdness. Arby’s “Good Mood Food” campaign falls a little below it. Keeping them in the “safe zone”.
And if they keep cranking out good food, they’ll keep doing well.
Have a great day!
Duane Christensen
Non-Fat Advertising blog
