Denny’s is promoting its “Taste of the Holidays” limited-time menu with a tie-in to the holiday movie “Arthur Christmas” from Sony Pictures.
Officials from the family-dining chain said the promotional menu would offer the kind of indulgent offerings Denny’s has introduced successfully over the years, such as Red Velvet Pancake Puppies and a Holiday Turkey Melt, as well as movie-themed kids’ items like Arthur’s Christmas Cookie Pancakes and Arthur’s Milk & Cookies Shake.
“It was truly a case of ‘1 + 1 = 3,’” John Dillon, vice president of marketing for Denny’s, said. “We’ve come back with new holiday flavors, but we really had this opportunity with Sony to take it to the next level with a very family-focused holiday movie. We could create some fun new products around that partnership that appeal to kids and kids at heart.”
During the Spartanburg, S.C.-based company’s third-quarter earnings call, chief executive John Miller said the limited-time menu and movie tie-in would reinforce one another, particularly as the Milk & Cookies Shake and Christmas Cookie Pancakes directly target the same kids likely enticed by the movie.
“We believe that crave-able items for all dayparts, with the ‘Arthur Christmas’ holiday movie promotion, will help Denny’s stand out as America’s favorite diner this holiday season,” Miller said.
Watch a commercial for Denny’s “Arthur Christmas” promotion; story continues below
The “Taste of the Holidays” menu also includes seasonal touches to Denny’s Build Your Own Grand Slam, like Bread Pudding French Toast, Brown Sugar Ham Steak and Pumpkin Pie Pancakes. The Holiday Turkey Dinner features turkey breast, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce and a choice of two sides, while the Holiday Turkey Melt turns that combination into a portable sandwich. The melt combines sliced turkey breast, stuffing and melted Swiss cheese on grilled potato bread with cranberry-honey mustard spread.
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Over the past several years, Denny’s has tried to stretch its new menu releases by developing and marketing indulgent items that keep promotional menus in the news, such as the Fried Cheese Melt and the Maple Bacon Sundae, Dillon said. There was a similar element intended for the pancakes and milk shake in the “Arthur Christmas” tie-in, he added.
“We start with the consumer need,” Dillon said. “This is all about the holiday flavors and what they do for people, and then the promotional partners and other pieces fall into place from there. The Christmas cookie pancakes and the milk shake get people talking, and it’s all a real jumping-off point for the promotion.”
The movie also will figure prominently in social-media and in-store tie-ins to Denny’s seasonal menu. Denny’s will host a 24-hour toy drive to benefit Toys for Tots; will deploy an in-store game called Letters to Arthur, where kids can win a free kids’ meal; and will run several activities on Facebook, allowing guests to create custom holiday e-cards or stoke a virtual yule log.
“We want guests to feel the holidays from the moment they sit at the table and interact with our products,” Dillon said, “and even afterward we want them to visit our website to keep that going as long as possible. Then they’ll hopefully come back to Denny’s.”
The goal of an integrated marketing campaign for the holidays is to convert seasonal traffic into repeat business throughout the year, Dillon said.
“Holidays in general are important for us, since we’re one of the few chains open 365 days a year, including Thanksgiving and Christmas,” he said. “We are very much trying to create the experience in the restaurant that’s a ‘wow experience’ that keeps people wondering what we’re going to do next.”
RELATED: Three Questions: Denny’s marketing VP John Dillon
Denny’s operates, franchises or licenses 1,677 family-dining restaurants.
Contact Mark Brandau at [email protected].
Follow him on Twitter: @Mark_from_NRN
