SPARTANBURG S.C. Denny’s is taking on quick-service restaurants and what it calls their “fake” breakfasts in an ad campaign designed to position the family-dining chain as the “king of the breakfast table.”
The “Don’t Fall for Fake” campaign includes TV spots for the general and Hispanic markets, digital efforts, public relations programs, in-store merchandising and guerrilla marketing initiatives that all contrast Denny’s breakfast menu with the meals served by quick-service chains.
Actor Tony Sirico, who played Paulie Walnuts in “The Sopranos,” appears in the two TV spots for the general market. In “Phony Money” he pays for a quick-service breakfast with fake money with the rationale that a "fake" breakfast deserves fake money. The spot promotes Denny’s Complete Breakfast Trio for $5.99. Publicis Mid America in Dallas created the campaign, which targets consumers 25 to 40 years old.
The ads feature the tag “Real Breakfast 24/7” and will appear during such shows as “American Idol” and “Grey’s Anatomy.”
Thirty and 15-second spots created for the Hispanic market by Cruz/Kravetz: IDEAS of Los Angeles are airing under the theme “De verdad verdad,” or “really real,” and focus on the enjoyment of social interaction and food.
Digital components of the overall campaign include banner ads, mobile alerts, video ads and offer-based games.
The 1,500-unit Denny’s has boosted breakfast-marketing efforts over the past two years to blunt the encroachment of its turf by quick-service chains.
