Marketing: The Big Idea

Sometimes you need to think outside of the box. In today’s highly competitive restaurant industry, you need to have ideas that will make you stand out from the pack. From the bizarre, to the common sense, here’s a few marketing ideas that have certainly been noticed and could possibly be utilized in your own restaurant.

PIZZA BLANKETS!

Restaurants are jumping on the bandwagon when it comes to selling merchandise this year. And Pizza Hut hit the hunger mark with their new weighted blanket — a 72-inch round weighted blanket that looks like a pepperoni pizza. Targeting the comfort experience that everyone is craving during the pandemic, marketing officials are saying “There’s no better way to close out 2020 than eating a Pizza Hut Original Pan Pizza while wrapped in the warmth and comfort of the Original Pan Weighted Blanket”. the blanket is sold out.

CHIPOTLE OFFERS BIG $$

Chipotle Mexican Grill latest marketing campaign “Chipotle Royalty” featured super-fan and digital star David Dobrik. The competition, which ran from Nov. 17-19, challenged fans to prove why their Chipotle order is the best among millions of possible combinations by posting a creative video on TikTok. Winners will score $10,000 and have their go-to bowl, burrito, salad or taco order featured as an official menu item for a limited time.

CHICKEN VS TURKEY

What do you when you are a chicken restaurant during the turkey push of Thanksgiving (and thinking forward into Christmas)? You promote the “Churkey Meal”. Popeye’s promoted it’s eight piece family meal suitable for a “Friendsgiving meal” with the promo line “Choose Churkey”.

DRIVE-THRU EXPERIENCE

As marketers continued to contend with a nontraditional Halloween season, imaginations were put to the test. Wendy’s scored a hit when they turned a drive-thru in Los Angeles into a ‘Scare-thru” for Halloween. Customers were treated to creepy clowns, scarecrows, jack-o-lanterns and coupon books.

Make the most of Limited time offers

Limited time offers (LTOs) are a great way to keep drawing customers back to your restaurant with new menu options. It’s also your chance to try out some new, innovative, even edgier, menu items. One of the more popular ways to incorporate an LTO into your repertoire is through a seasonal-appropriate or event-timed offer. Tie your LTO into a local tradition or special event. For instance, if you’re a sports bar and your city is hosting a special sporting event, get creative and tie an appetizer or special sandwich to your home team. You can tie your LTO into seasonal flavors, such as peppermint and eggnog for winter, berries and lemonade for spring and summer, apples and pumpkin spice for fall, provided adding these flavor profiles fits with your overall brand. And there’s always a wealth of national holidays the calender that can be inspiring for your next LTO. Pretzel Day, Beer Day, Chili Day.... just use your imagination. June 20: Father’s Day

Jan. 1: New Year’s Day Jan. 31: National Hot Chocolate Day

Feb. 2: Groundhog Day Feb. 14: Valentine’s Day Feb. 16: Mardi Gras Feb. 28: National Chili Day June 7: National Chocolate Ice Cream Day June 19: National Martini Day

Feb. 16: Shrove Tuesday Sept. 18: Oktoberfest June 20: First Day of Summer

July 1: Canada Day

Aug. 2: Civic Day

March 17: St. Patrick’s Day March 20: First Day of Spring

April 1: April Fool’s Day April 4: Easter Sunday April 7: National Beer Day April 12: National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day April 16: National Eggs Benedict Day April 26: National Pretzel Day Dec. 21: First Day of Winter

May 9: Mother;s Day May 24: Victoria Day Sept. 6: Labour Day Sept. 7: Back to school Sept. 22: First Day of Fall

Oct. 11: Thanksgiving Oct. 31: Halloween

Nov. 6: National Nachos Day Nov. 11: Remembrance Day

May 28: National Burger Day Dec. 25: Christmas Dec. 31: New Year’s Eve