Boston’s targets dads with Pizzaburger

Many restaurants gear marketing toward mothers, who tend to be the family decision-makers when it comes to restaurant choices, but Boston’s Restaurant & Sports Bar is taking a different approach as it prepares for the Aug. 26 rollout of its Pizzaburger limited-time offer.

“We’re a sports bar, with sports playing all the time [on the televisions]. We sell carb-heavy and salty, delicious fan foods. When you think about what our offerings are, we’d be kidding ourselves if we thought we weren’t dad-focused,” said Brad Bevill, the 39-unit casual-dining chain’s new vice president of marketing.

The chain’s target demographic for the bulk of its new integrated marketing campaign is men ages 25-54, married, with kids and a full-time job. The message: Boston’s is “Dad’s happy place.”

Bevill said he thinks the message gives the Dallas-based chain a point of distinction. It’s also honest about the product they’re marketing — a place for sports, beer, wings, pizza and burgers. “It skews toward dad,” he said.

Boston’s 90-item menu is diverse enough that it includes something for everyone — salad, pasta, salmon, healthful kids items etc. — which Bevill said is important in his messaging, because of dad’s family isn’t happy, he isn’t going to be either.

The Pizzaburger, will be available through Nov. 3, is a half-pound Angus burger with bacon, mozzarella, pizza sauce and pepperoni enveloped in a thin pizza crust, baked and garnished with lettuce, tomato and a pickle. The burger is served with seasoned fries and a side of pizza sauce and starts at $9.99.

The item has been a huge success at Boston’s sister chain in Canada, Boston Pizza, where burger sales rose by 259 percent during the marketing campaign for the item.

Bevill said the specific marketing message for the limited-time offer is that it’s the love child of a hamburger and a pizza.

Without giving too much away before the Aug. 26 launch, Bevill said that most of the TV, radio and digital marketing will have an online dating theme. “It makes some insinuations that are maybe a little bit more edgy than what we’ve done in the past,” he said, adding that when you try to market to everyone “you end up saying nothing to no one.”

Boston’s isn’t leaving mothers out of its marketing efforts, however. In social media forums that skew toward women, such as Pinterest, the Pizzaburger will be launched with a “birth announcement,” Bevill said.

Contact Bret Thorn: [email protected].
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