Captain D’s Seafood Kitchen is no rookie when it comes to rebranding.
The chain began its latest rebranding effort in August 2006, which was less than four years after its previous brand-revamping campaign broke in early 2003.
The Nashville, Tenn.-based franchisor now has deployed a new logo, new trading name—it used to be just Captain D’s Seafood—new menu and new store design.
Of course, the nearly 600-unit chain now has a new TV campaign to support the rebranding. Captain D’s also has a different agency than it had the last time, as well as a new owner: Nashville-based Sagittarius Brands.
It also has a new sister chain, California-based Del Taco, whose relative financial strengths are said to be aiding Sagittarius’ efforts to boost the struggling Captain D’s.
The seafood chain’s TV campaign, created by o2 ideas of Birmingham, Ala., initially targets the Nashville market and is expected to air elsewhere as Captain D’s completes its transformation systemwide.
Captain D’s goal during the previous rebranding campaign was modest: re-energize its image and differentiate it from Long John Silver’s, its main competitor. The goal now is much more ambitious. Captain D’s is a quick-service chain but wants consumers to perceive it as serving the higher-quality meals they’d find at casual-dining restaurants.
The supporting TV campaign makes it clear that Captain D’s has changed, and the campaign itself is far different from previous commercials. The ad was shot in stop-motion, beginning with a seaside artist painting a picture of a fish. It’s no ordinary fish, though. It’s animated, and it “swims” through crowds, helped along by various individuals, until it ends up on a poster outside a Captain D’s restaurant.
That’s the entertaining part, not the message itself. The food shots aren’t the message either. The commercial relies on a voice-over to explain that Captain D’s is not what it once was.
“Change. It can come in waves, or as a single stroke,” the announcer says as the spot opens. “And sometimes it can be unbelievably good.”
In case viewers didn’t understand that Captain D’s is swimming toward fast-casual status, the voice-over continues: “Introducing the all-new, surprisingly different Captain D’s Seafood Kitchen.”
To sell the message to viewers who may not have been paying attention, the spot ends with this: “Change isn’t just good. It’s delicious.”
It’s an adequate combination of entertainment and information but would be better if the information component were stronger. The major change at Captain D’s is the menu, but the spot only provides a fleeting glimpse of various dishes. It would benefit from a more focused food message.
Granted, this is an initial effort to say that Captain D’s has changed. Perhaps future spots will emphasize specific menu items, but consumers who have never eaten at Captain D’s won’t learn from this ad exactly what’s different and why they should try the restaurant.
They may be fascinated by that fish swimming through the crowds, but fascination alone won’t get them in the door. All they know is that Captain D’s is claiming that the changes it’s made are not only good but also delicious. OK, so tell us how the salmon is different from before and why it’s delicious.
Frequent customers will see for themselves how different the menu is and decide whether it’s an improvement. Nonusers or infrequent diners may need a little more prodding to visit the restaurant, and they are the consumers whom every restaurant wants to influence with advertising.
The spot is a good foundation on which to build stronger messages about the new Captain D’s. The stop-motion technique and voice-over at least draws attention to the brand, and if future ads impart a stronger food message Captain D’s could see business from new customers. If that doesn’t work, the chain could try another rebranding campaign three or four years from now.