DALLAS —Foodservice brands that claimed certain products or dayparts as their own years ago are now discovering that they need to defend themselves with marketing campaigns emphasizing the brand qualities that earned them their once-exclusive dominion over such signatures.
During the past few months, Starbucks Coffee was forced to launch its first national TV campaign focusing on the decades-old “Starbucks experience” to recapture consumers who had drifted from the premium-coffee category. Wendy’s completely revamped its ad strategy to return to the food-focused campaigns of years ago that built sales for the chain even as competitors tried to counter with new products. And Denny’s, which built its reputation on breakfast more than 50 years ago, broke an ad campaign last month to remind consumers that it alone was the breakfast pioneer, despite the growing a.m. strengths of fast feeders. —Foodservice brands that claimed certain products or dayparts as their own years ago are now discovering that they need to defend themselves with marketing campaigns emphasizing the brand qualities that earned them their once-exclusive dominion over such signatures.
The latest brand to join that growing list is the 7-Eleven convenience store chain, which contends it invented the coffee-to-go category 40 years ago. Dallas-based 7-Eleven, which has more than 5,500 U.S. branches, launched a campaign in early February to convince consumers that they can buy better coffee at 7-Eleven than the products offered by competitors. —Foodservice brands that claimed certain products or dayparts as their own years ago are now discovering that they need to defend themselves with marketing campaigns emphasizing the brand qualities that earned them their once-exclusive dominion over such signatures.
It also has rolled out a new product, called the Slurpuccino, which combines coffee with the chain’s signature Slurpee beverage to appeal to younger consumers. —Foodservice brands that claimed certain products or dayparts as their own years ago are now discovering that they need to defend themselves with marketing campaigns emphasizing the brand qualities that earned them their once-exclusive dominion over such signatures.
Brands find themselves going back to their roots because consumers have more restaurant choices and are particularly careful today about how they spend money in a weak economy, said Linda Duke, chief executive of Duke Marketing, based in San Rafael, Calif. —Foodservice brands that claimed certain products or dayparts as their own years ago are now discovering that they need to defend themselves with marketing campaigns emphasizing the brand qualities that earned them their once-exclusive dominion over such signatures.
Restaurants are forced to “stick to the knitting” —Duke’s way of saying they have to do what they’ve always done best. —Foodservice brands that claimed certain products or dayparts as their own years ago are now discovering that they need to defend themselves with marketing campaigns emphasizing the brand qualities that earned them their once-exclusive dominion over such signatures.
That seems to be of paramount importance in the coffee category, where established players like 7-Eleven face competition from larger coffeehouse chains and now are up against a new threat from smaller drive-thru concepts that are seeking a share of the category. —Foodservice brands that claimed certain products or dayparts as their own years ago are now discovering that they need to defend themselves with marketing campaigns emphasizing the brand qualities that earned them their once-exclusive dominion over such signatures.
“Instead of gliding along with what you were known for, now you have to boast about what you’re known for,” Duke said. “Brands have to stay strategically flexible.” —Foodservice brands that claimed certain products or dayparts as their own years ago are now discovering that they need to defend themselves with marketing campaigns emphasizing the brand qualities that earned them their once-exclusive dominion over such signatures.
7-Eleven’s multimillion-dollar campaign for the chain’s to-go coffee includes radio ads, billboards, transit ads, local promotions, and posters inside and outside 7-Eleven stores. FreshWorks of Dallas, a consortium of Omnicom agencies, created the campaign. —Foodservice brands that claimed certain products or dayparts as their own years ago are now discovering that they need to defend themselves with marketing campaigns emphasizing the brand qualities that earned them their once-exclusive dominion over such signatures.
The ads’ taglines, “Our coffee’s fresher than your average joe” and “Guaranteed fresh or we’ll brew it new,” are designed to educate consumers about 7-Eleven’s commitment to quality, said Stephanie Hoppe, the chain’s senior director of marketing. —Foodservice brands that claimed certain products or dayparts as their own years ago are now discovering that they need to defend themselves with marketing campaigns emphasizing the brand qualities that earned them their once-exclusive dominion over such signatures.
“We just haven’t told people that we deliver one of the best cups of coffee out there,” she said. “Sometimes you just have to remind people of what you do.” —Foodservice brands that claimed certain products or dayparts as their own years ago are now discovering that they need to defend themselves with marketing campaigns emphasizing the brand qualities that earned them their once-exclusive dominion over such signatures.
Hoppe acknowledged that the competition in the coffee category is fierce, but “that speaks to the huge opportunity the coffee business is.” —Foodservice brands that claimed certain products or dayparts as their own years ago are now discovering that they need to defend themselves with marketing campaigns emphasizing the brand qualities that earned them their once-exclusive dominion over such signatures.
One opportunity for 7-Eleven is the Slur-puccino, which recently rolled out systemwide. —Foodservice brands that claimed certain products or dayparts as their own years ago are now discovering that they need to defend themselves with marketing campaigns emphasizing the brand qualities that earned them their once-exclusive dominion over such signatures.
“This is a fun drink without trans-fats or a heavy fat content or a lot of calories,” Hoppe said. “Basically it’s a coffee-flavored Slurpee. It’s another way to reach consumers.” —Foodservice brands that claimed certain products or dayparts as their own years ago are now discovering that they need to defend themselves with marketing campaigns emphasizing the brand qualities that earned them their once-exclusive dominion over such signatures.
The chain is promoting the drink with in-store material and is considering expanding marketing efforts to radio, she said. Slurpuccino comes in four sizes, and prices vary by market. —Foodservice brands that claimed certain products or dayparts as their own years ago are now discovering that they need to defend themselves with marketing campaigns emphasizing the brand qualities that earned them their once-exclusive dominion over such signatures.
For its to-go coffee line, 7-Eleven is counting on the freshness message to differentiate itself from competitors. Since the mid-1980s the chain has ground 100-percent whole Arabica beans in-store just before brewing individual pots of coffee. —Foodservice brands that claimed certain products or dayparts as their own years ago are now discovering that they need to defend themselves with marketing campaigns emphasizing the brand qualities that earned them their once-exclusive dominion over such signatures.
“Few of our competitors can say they fresh-grind their beans,” said Margaret Chabris, communications director for 7-Eleven. —Foodservice brands that claimed certain products or dayparts as their own years ago are now discovering that they need to defend themselves with marketing campaigns emphasizing the brand qualities that earned them their once-exclusive dominion over such signatures.
The chain allows customers to customize their coffee with as many free flavored creamers, syrups, spices and condiments as they want. Prices for a cup of coffee range from slightly more than $1 for a 12-ounce cup to $1.49 for 24 ounces. —Foodservice brands that claimed certain products or dayparts as their own years ago are now discovering that they need to defend themselves with marketing campaigns emphasizing the brand qualities that earned them their once-exclusive dominion over such signatures.
Kerry Burson, the chain’s senior director of beverages, called the prices “a hard-to-beat value, especially as a tougher economy causes consumers to consider where to spend their money.” —Foodservice brands that claimed certain products or dayparts as their own years ago are now discovering that they need to defend themselves with marketing campaigns emphasizing the brand qualities that earned them their once-exclusive dominion over such signatures.
It’s price and convenience that differentiate 7-Eleven as a brand, especially as it makes a push for coffee sales, said Peter Geisheker, president and chief executive of the Geisheker Group Marketing Co. of Green Bay, Wis. —Foodservice brands that claimed certain products or dayparts as their own years ago are now discovering that they need to defend themselves with marketing campaigns emphasizing the brand qualities that earned them their once-exclusive dominion over such signatures.
“If they want to go after coffee, they’re competing against Starbucks, and they need to position as different and better than Starbucks,” he said. “They need to focus on the message that built them as a company. That’s convenience and low cost. 7-Eleven is no Starbucks. It’s a convenience store.” —Foodservice brands that claimed certain products or dayparts as their own years ago are now discovering that they need to defend themselves with marketing campaigns emphasizing the brand qualities that earned them their once-exclusive dominion over such signatures.
Brands lose their value when they send conflicting or too many messages to consumers, Geisheker said. —Foodservice brands that claimed certain products or dayparts as their own years ago are now discovering that they need to defend themselves with marketing campaigns emphasizing the brand qualities that earned them their once-exclusive dominion over such signatures.
“The world is so overadvertised that people can focus on one message per company,” he said. “Each time you create a new campaign and try to focus on a new marketing message, it’s almost like you’re starting your marketing from scratch. It’s hard to keep a strong image if you keep changing the message.” —Foodservice brands that claimed certain products or dayparts as their own years ago are now discovering that they need to defend themselves with marketing campaigns emphasizing the brand qualities that earned them their once-exclusive dominion over such signatures.