Read the Ad Age article from Denny's CMO Mark Chmiel about the requirement of CMOs to deliver the present (sales), while protecting the future (build the brand).
Denny's and Mark faced what many marketer face - Denny's sales were continuing to decline and consumers were not excited by the brand. In fact, the 56 year old brand has 95% awareness and 90+% trial, which meant that consumers felt that they knew the brand.
How to re-energize and re-activate consumers, or better said, how to deliver sales, while simultaneously building the brand? Note the requirement for simultaneous results.
Denny's chose to adapt the highly successful Hyundai Assurance program to the Denny's business and consumer with Free Grand Slam day (advertisied on the Super Bowl). The result: over 2 million consumers visited Denny's that day.
You may think that anyone can give something away and get a lot of response due to the lift from a Super Bowl ad. You might be right but how many give-aways also build the brand for the long term, a la Hyundai (and only-time-will-tell Denny's)?
The article is more expansive than the above topic, as it speaks eloquently about the way CMO can, and must, stay in alignment with the CEO and the Board of Directors by staying sales focused.
O.D.O.o.O.D.B.
Comments