OKLAHOMA CITY Add Sonic Drive-Ins to the list of chain and independent restaurants that are betting on talent contest tie-ins to snag attention during the normally slow post-holiday season.
With broadcasters fighting for viewers with programs like “American Idol,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “So You Think You Can Dance” and “America’s Got Talent,” restaurants are striving to capitalize on the talent-contest phenomenon, either by forging a connection to those big-league efforts or hatching homespun versions.
Sonic, for instance, launched a promotion Jan. 11 that plays off “Nashville Star,” an “American Idol”-like program in which country musicians vie for a chance at stardom. Patrons of the 3,200-unit drive-in chain can use a entry form printed on Sonic bags to predict which of the show’s contestants will win.
Five of the sweepstakes entrants who correctly guess the winner will be eligible for a grand prize of a Chevy Silverado pick-up and a four-person dinner once a week for a year at a Sonic outlet. On March 1, when the winner is announced, the quick-service chain will run a commercial during “Nashville Star,” directing participants to go online and see if they won.
Other restaurant brands have ponied up the money to feature their brands—or their executives—on performance-contest blockbusters like “The Apprentice,” a fraternal twin to the straightforward talent contest. The Jan. 28 episode of “The Apprentice” will feature walk-ons by El Pollo Loco chief executive Steve Carley and chief marketing officer Karen Eadon, who will invite the show’s contestants to come up with their own version of the chain’s Pollo Bowl.
The appearances, coming as the regional chain pushes nationwide, will “heighten awareness of our brand in new and existing El Pollo Loco markets,” said Carley.
Executives of the KFC chicken chain won't have to strut their talent before Simon Cowell and the other judges of "American Idol," but the Yum! Brands-owned concept will be testing the home audience's judgement when the hit show starts its new season on Jan. 17. The chain plans to run a slightly altered version of its nationally-airing commercial for the Buffalo KFC Snacker sandwich. The first 10,000 "Idol" viewers who long onto KFC's web page and cite the difference in the "Idol" commercial will get a coupon for a free sandwich. Officials said that altered ad will only be shown the one time, on the show's premier.
Several more chains have chosen to forego television and host their own contests on new audio and visual channels like YouTube.com and MySpace.com. Chili’s, for instance, conducted a sing-off via its page on MySpace to find the best riff on its well-known “Baby Back Ribs” jingle. Visitors were invited to vote for the best of the 10 finalist versions posted on the page. The Brinker International-owned grill-and-bar chain said Wednesday that the biggest vote-getter, an aspiring Philadelphia musician named Cliff Hillis, will be rewarded with the chance to meet with a New West Records executive in Los Angeles, as well as a paid trip for four to the West Coast recording capital.
Chili’s did not disclose how many votes Hillis had landed, or how many MySpace visitors participated in the promotion, but quantified the volume at “thousands.”
Chipotle Mexican Grill said a somewhat similar competition for advertising and film students drew 17 million viewers to the contest’s host area on YouTube.com. The entrants vied to come up with the best 30-second commercial for the burrito chain, which offered $40,000 as first prize. Executives noted that they could not have produced a commercial delivering that level of viewership for just $40,000.
Chains aren’t the only foodservice operations to give talent contests a try. The Rainbow Bar & Grill in Las Vegas will conclude its battle of bands on Jan. 25, when the Bob Marley-influenced Fortwentydaze squares off with aspiring alt-rock stars The Skooners.
