Chick-fil-A Campaign Plan Class Project

CHICK-FIL-A CAMPAIGN PLAN 2017

SPBL Group

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About the Agency Based in Madison, Wisconsin, SPBL Group is an established full service agency specializing in integrated marketing campaigns. We are a group of dynamic, hard-working and passionate individuals committed to developing brand personality. Our unique outlook combined with an experienced skillset, means we are ready to create inspiring content. SPBL Group is ready transform your brand - are you?

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Creative Director

Account Manager

Research Director

Media Director

PR Director

PR Director

Table of Contents Situational Analysis

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Campaign Strategy

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Public Relations Plan

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Creative Plan

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Media Plan

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Sources

75

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Situational analysis

History of the company

According to the company website, Chick-fil-A was started in 1946 as a small family owned business in Atlanta originally called the Dwarf House. The Cathy family has continued founder Truett Cathy’s business and spirit of philanthropy.

Chick-fil-A is based on values of family, faith and fresh food. Their corporate purpose is “to glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us and to have a positive influence on all who come into contact with Chick-fil-A.” The restaurant’s staple item remains to be the “original chicken sandwich,” and is known for their slogan “Eat Mor Chikin”, which features cartoon cows. Chickfil-A also strongly stresses their dedication to fresh food and simple food such as chicken without added fillers or hormones. Other items such as salads are prepared with fresh produce that is delivered daily and are prepared throughout the day. Chick-fil-A emphasizes transparency in how they prepare their food, what the food is made of and how that impacts what the consumers are putting into their bodies. They have made a 10-year commitment to source only 10 percent cage-free eggs and source their chicken from US farms that follow their Animal Wellbeing Standards.

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The company has had 49 consecutive years of sales growth and went from $6.8 billion in sales in 2015 to almost $8 billion in 2016. With only 2,100 restaurants in the U.S last year, the company saw $4.4 million in sales per unit, higher than any other chain (Business Insider).

Industry Trends The fast food industry has witnessed a growth period for approximately five years, after the industry suffered during the recession and consumers were not spending their money on fast food dining. The most extensive change that the industry will experience in 2017 will be the increase in health awareness. This will greatly affect the red meat industry such as burger restaurants and traditional American chains. More restaurants are turning to healthier menu options such as including salads and fruit, especially in relation to kids menus.

The overall industry revenue continues to grow and is expected to grow at an annual rate of 1.6 percent for the next five years until 2020 to a total of $266.2 billion (ISISWorld). The industry is very competitive, which requires businesses to have specialized characteristics to attract consumers over competitors. The fast food industry is at the very core of American culture which will continue to benefit from the projected growth although the market makeup will likely look very different and will focus more on ingredients and quality over taste and price.

Competitive Analysis

The fast food industry has been around for a considerable amount of time and with the many years of new restaurants and trends, some companies have been constant such as McDonalds. Similar to a lot of other American fast food chains, McDonalds started with the classic burger that quickly became a household favorite. However for Chick-fil-A, their classic menu item was the chicken sandwich which led to a unique identity focusing on chicken products rather than red meat options, such as pork or beef. This has been especially important in the fast food market due to the recent change in consumer attitude that has made people turn to cutting down their consumption of red meat for health reasons and for environmental factors. Additionally, for the growing number of consumers that are turning to healthier lifestyles, Chick-fil-A is an option.

In this aspect, Chick-fil-A is able to provide an ample and varied menu with an assortment of items that appeal to those that enjoy chicken, and are health conscience.

Yum! Brands which owns popular companies such as Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell collectively holds 8.4 percent of the fast food restaurant market share. When compared to brands that hold a larger portion of the market share such as Burger King at 3.4 percent, and The Wendy’s Co. at 3.8 percent, Chick-fil-A holds a considerable portion at 3.3 percent, especially when considering the small number of Chick-fil-A restaurants in the U.S and the niche market that it caters to. Industry trends illustrate, “Chick-fil-A has recently surpassed KFC as the number one fast food restaurant chain in this segment with just a fraction of the restaurants, partly due to its greater focus on breakfast and differentiated 5 menu that includes a greater array of milkshakes, ice cream and wraps (IBISWorld).�

Sales per unit (2016) Number of Restaurants in U.S Annual sales growth Key sales product Average cost of meal

McDonald’s

KFC

Chick-fil-A

$2.5 million per unit

$1.1 million per unit

$4,4 million per unit

14,146

4,491

2,100

1,3%

7%

16.8%

Big Mac

Fried Chicken

Chicken sandwich

$4-7

$6-8

$6-10

Major Companies in Fast Food Restaurants Percent of Market Share (proportional to franchise size)

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Consumer Analysis Given the founding of Chick-fil-A in Atlanta, Georgia, most of the restaurant’s location are centered in the southern United States. For this reason according to Simmons data, a consumer that visits Chick-fil-A most often over other fast food restaurants is 94 times (index: 194) more likely to live in the southern states over other geographic locations. True to the nature of American fast food, consumers that often eat Chick-fil-A are 57 percent more likely (index: 157) to agree with the statement, “eating fast food helps me stay in my budget”. The affordability of the fast food industry is an aspect that has remained constant and has drawn in businesses due to the convenience of cheap quick food for busy families or individuals.

Additionally, due to the values attached to the Chick-fil-A brand, people that frequent Chick-fil-A are 68 percent more likely to identify as Baptist (index: 168), 26 percent more likely to identify as Christian (index: 126) and 62 times more likely to identify as Methodist (index: 162). This means that consumers that can identify with the Christian moral values that Chick-fil-A espouses, such as being closed on Sundays. The company relies on loyal customers based on mutual ideals, not just the company’s product.

Based on the results from Simmons data, there is a fairly balanced divide between female and male consumers of Chick-fil-A. Women account for 53.1 percent of all people that visit Chick-fil-A most often, while men account for 46.9 percent.

This was further confirmed by the independent survey that we conducted. Of the 327 respondents, 74 percent were female and 24.8 percent were male. Of these respondents, 82.6 percent were between the ages of 19-25 years old and based in Madison, Wis. Eightythree percent also believed that Chick-fil-A is an affordable fast food option and for 44.6 percent, the quality of the food was their favorite part about Chick-fil-A as a company.

Primary Consumer According to Simmons data, of the primary consumers of Chick-fil-A, 24.6 percent are between the ages of 25-34. Additionally, consumers of Chick-fil-A are 49 percent more likely to have two children in the household (index: 149). Of those, 41.1 percent of the households have children under 18 years old. Fifty-three percent are presently married and are 28 percent more likely to have graduated college or more. Forty-six percent belong to a church, temple, synagogue or mosque. This signifies that of the consumers that visit Chickfil-A most often, a sense of moral or religious beliefs are important. Additionally, this means that the fact that Chick-fil-A restaurants are closed on Sundays is something that resonates with these consumers instead of being a bother. Of these, consumers it is clear that family 7

is very important and more importantly, that includes spending time together in a fast food setting. Twenty-seven percent of these consumers indicated that they spent $50-99 on fastfood in the last 30 days, indicating that fast food is a consistent factor in their lives.

This sets up a traditional young American family that seeks easy, quick yet nutritional meals for everyone in the family.

Average Age of Chick-fil-A Consumers

Geographics of Chick-fil-A Consumers

The secondary consumers of Chick-fil-A fall between the ages of 18-24, 18.1 percent of those that indicated that they visit Chick-fil-A most often. Although very close in ages to the primary consumers, these consumers are likely young adults that do not have children of their own but are purchasing food for themselves. These consumers could be students or already in the workforce. This group of consumers are 90 percent more likely to be employed by others but work from home (index: 190). This makes sense due to the new uses of technology, which allow employees to work from home such as blogging, and skype meetings. These consumers are also 37 percent more likely to use a mobile application or website to track calories or exercise (index: 137). This indicates that they are conscious

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Secondary Consumer The secondary consumers of Chick-fil-A fall between the ages of 18-24, 18.1 percent of those that indicated that they visit Chick-fil-A most often. Although very close in ages to the primary consumers, these consumers are likely young adults that do not have children of their own but are purchasing food for themselves. These consumers could be students or already in the workforce. This group of consumers are 90 percent more likely to be employed by others but work from home (index: 190). This makes sense due to the new uses of technology, which allow employees to work from home such as blogging, and skype meetings.

These consumers are also 37 percent more likely to use a mobile application or website to track calories or exercise (index: 137). This indicates that they are conscious of their nutrition for the most part and watch their weight. This aligns with the anticipated changes in the consumers of fast food and the emphasis on healthier options. Additionally, this younger population is 40.8 percent more likely to believe that “each of us has a personal obligation to do what we can to be environmentally friendly.� This is a trait that is common for younger generations similar to the way that younger consumers use social media. Of these consumers, 47.5 percent talk about the things they see on social media or networking sites in faceto-face conversations. This means that social media is a form of interaction and communication that is effective for reaching this audience to understand their motives, opinions and values regarding fast food.

Gender Breakdown of Chick-fil-A Customers

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of their nutrition for the most part and watch their weight. This aligns with the anticipated changes in the consumers of fast food and the emphasis on healthier options. Additionally, this younger population is 40.8 percent more likely to believe that “each of us has a personal obligation to do what we can to be environmentally friendly.” This is a trait that is common for younger generations similar to the way that younger consumers use social media. Of these consum

Brand Analysis

Chick-fil-A is a privately-held company that was founded 71 years ago in Hapeville, Georgia as Dwarf House. Chick-fil-A is a privately held, multi-billion dollar company. Despite its size, Chick-fil-A still prides itself in the foundational values it established 71 years ago, the number one being family values. Chick-fil-A is best known for its chicken sandwich, which sources one of their most prominent taglines, “We Didn’t Invent The Chicken, Just The Chicken Sandwich”. Similarly, the company’s other best known tagline is a cow holding a sign, “Eat Mor Chiken”, another way Chick-fil-A emphasizes their predominantly chickenbased menu. However, the menu is not limited to such. Chick-fil-A also has grilled chicken, wraps, soups, salads and breakfast sandwiches.

Chick-fil-A is built on three pillars: quality, responsible sourcing, and family. The quality of their food is something the company has prided itself in since their establishment in 1967.

One way Chick-fil-A emulates quality can be seen in their most recent initiative: by the end of 2019, all of the meat will be hormone and antibiotic free. The chicken is breaded by hand daily and the produce is fresh. Providing customers quality products has always been the top priority for the company. In 10 years, all of the eggs served at Chick-fil-A will be 100 percent cage-free. Cage-free eggs ensure consumers responsible and ethical sourcing. The company’s emphasis on family can be seen in their nationwide store hours. Chick-fil-A is always closed on Sunday, providing their employees time to spend with their family and worship. The owners believe that Sunday is meant to be spent with friends and family.

Despite Chick-fil-A’s emphasis on family, the company’s CEO, Dan Cathy, has previously released several homophobic comments with regards to same sex marriage. These statements is something that has brought Chick-fil-A to the forefront of many news stories.

Similarly, the company has donated money to anti-gay organizations. This is something to which Chick-fil-A no longer wants to be connected. As of September 19, 2017, Chick-fil-A will no longer make donations to anti-gay causes. Despite the controversy surrounding the company’s viewpoint on this issue, Chick-fil-A did not intend for their corporation to engage in political or social debates. Over the next several years, Chick-fil-A will continue to improve their brand in each of the three foundational pillars of their company.

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Consumers’ Favorite Aspect of Chick-fil-A

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Media Usage Analysis When analyzing Chick-fil-A’s multimedia advertising and marketing strategies, it appears that the company doesn’t place nearly as much emphasis on advertising compared to other prominent fast food chains. In 2016, Chick-fil-A spent $63 million on advertisements.

McDonald’s and Yum Brands, arguably two of Chick-fil-A’s biggest competitors, spent $773 million and $376 million on advertising, respectively (Statista, 2017). Despite this disproportion, Chick-fil-A’s marketing strategy has seemed to work well for the company and in 2013 they surpassed KFC, part of Yum Brands, in sales despite spending millions less on advertisements and having nearly 3000 less stores (Richards, 2017).

However, the company has recognized the need to expand their marketing strategies and has started rebranding themselves and buying advertisement in places they have never bought them before. After 22 years of successful business with the Richards Group, the advertising firm that brought Chick-fil-A’s famous cows and “Eat More Chikin” slogan to life, the company hired a new agency in 2016 and launched a “Cows-Plus” campaign. This campaign involves relying less on the beloved cows and more on expanding their brand to tell engaging stories about customer service, the quality of their food and the people who drive the company. The Chief Marketing Officer of the company explained, “The cows are an integral part of the brand. They’re our mascot if you will. But they aren’t the brand. The brand is bigger than that” (Sutton, 2016).

To activate this new “Cows-Plus” campaign strategy, Chick-fil-A has started promoting the “Chicken Wire” portion of their company’s website on various social media platforms. The Chicken Wire is a collection of articles and stories written about Chick-fil-A and featured on their website. These stories range from recipes of favorite discontinued menu items to poignant accounts of Chick-fil-A employees doing good deeds. Since consumers are not necessarily following the Chick-fil-A website, the company posts these stories on Facebook and Twitter to direct consumers to their website and allow them to read more into the company’s brand and pedigree. Besides these stories, there is no evidence of their “Cows-Plus” campaign elsewhere. In fact, it is difficult to find current billboards and print advertisements at all and those that are easily accessible seemed to focus on the cows and “Eat More Chikin” slogan. This means that Chick-fil-A doesn’t spend much money on their print advertisements and/or they don’t promote them well enough to be found by researchers.

Alongside their “Cows-Plus” campaign, Chick-fil-A has moved to integrate digital and traditional media in the form of several new TV commercials. Chick-fil-A purchased two 30-second commercial spots during the 2017 Grammy Awards. Having only focused on local TV spots in the past, this move was huge step for the company. These commercials featured 12

the beloved “Eat More Chikin” cows wearing virtual reality glasses and encouraging viewers to visit https://cowzvr.com/ to experience the adventure. This push to appeal to a younger, tech-savvy audience is perceptive of the company and could attract an entire new consumer population for the restaurant. Since VR is a relatively new phenomena, Chick-fil-A could also be in front of a larger movement towards using virtual reality in advertising and marketing.

In terms of social media usage, Chick-fil-A attempts to be active with its consumers and followers. The company has 831,000 followers on Instagram, 7.4 million followers on Facebook and 871,000 followers on Twitter. As stated above, Chick-fil-A uses their social media accounts to promote their “Chicken Wire” website and share stories about their generosity and quality service. The company also actively interacts with their followers, frequently replying to tweets and comments on Facebook about mistakes or to answer questions. While Chick-fil-A’s social media strategies help garner the company an engaged fanbase, there is room for improvement in that other companies have a far larger social media presence. For example, McDonald’s has 2.6 million followers on Instagram and well over 70 million likes on Facebook. A coordinated social media campaign to boost the company’s following would be beneficial in the absence of many print and TV ads. Chickfil-A’s active social media usage is a necessity in establishing their brand identity and attracting consumers.

Chick-fil-A’s Most Memorable Advertisement

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Category Creative Analysis Since their founding as a family company in 1946, Chick-fil-A has emphasized quality and involvement in the lives of their customers. They promote their family-friendly image with the design of their restaurants and their brand overall. Chick-fil-A’s website states that it is committed to serving quality food by incorporating a “different kind of recipe – [its] restaurant design.” Preserving history is an important part of the Chick-fil-A brand as well.

In 2011, the company launched its “heritage design,” which reflects strong character and roots. This design focuses on using quality construction materials and supporting local artisans by incorporating “subtle-yet-fun” elements into their interior.

The overall look and feel of the brand is clean, home-like and cohesive. The Chick-fil-A brand’s primary colors are white and red while some secondary colors include orange, blue and green. The company uses the contrast between white and red for their logo and displays it on the exterior of their restaurants as well as on their packaging.

The Chick-fil-A logo is the main element of the fast-food chain’s packaging and exterior design, though it is sometimes accompanied by other elements such as lines and shapes.

This historical mark has changed little since S. Truett Cathy opened his first Chick-fil-A restaurant in 1967. It was originally created as a combination mark involving the head of the chicken and the name of the company. The font chosen for the letter ‘A’ in the brand’s name resembled the ‘A’ a student earns in school, suggesting the excellence of Chick-fil-A’s food and service. As design practice evolved, the company modernized and simplified its logo by incorporating the head of the chicken into the typography of the mark. Along with this simplification, the type also changed in 1970 from a script typeface with sharp edges to a heavier-weight typeface, improving its legibility. The company altered the colors of the 14

logo throughout the years. From a black logo with a hint of red, the logo transformed into a dark red mark in 1986 and was more recently changed to a slightly brighter shade of red in 2012. Along with that change, the company also slightly decreased the weight of the stroke in the logo, making it cleaner. Today, the monochromatic Chick-fil-A logo is simple, effective and straightforward.

Acknowledging its biggest competitor - the hamburger, Chick-fil-A launched its “Eat More Chicken” campaign in 1995. The goal of this campaign was to encourage people to choose Chick-fil-A over its competitors and raise awareness of the chain, all while operating on a limited budget. For this reason, the agency spearheading the company’s marketing strategy created novel three-dimensional billboards instead of TV commercials. After experimenting with a variety of witty adds, the creative team decided to let the cows tell the story of the brand. Later, the campaign adapted to social media. Today, the Chick-fil-A cows have their own Facebook and Twitter pages with 738,182 fans on Facebook and 39,000 followers on Twitter. In 2016, Chick-fil-A allowed their brand to evolve in new directions, creating the new “Cows-Plus” campaign. The new campaign still utilizes the famous mascots but focuses on modern technology like VR to connect with a wider audience.

The creative executions of Chick-fil-A reflect the tone and message strategies of the brand.

The company is most well-known for its TV ads and billboards. The billboards often feature cows painting calls-to-action, like “Eat Chikin or we give Telemarketerz yer Number”, and “Weer not Bathing til u Eat Chikin.” The language of the billboards is clever, simple and funny. Other billboards feature plastic cows sitting or sleeping on the billboard. The TV ads are also centered around the cows. The feel of the commercials is quirky. For instance, the Chick-fil-A egg white grill TV commercial, “Good Impressions” shows a man who wakes up to a cow making chicken sounds outside of his window. The camera shifts to the call to action: “Wake up 2 Chikin”, written in the characteristic “cow font”. At the end, the commercial shows the advertised food, as well as the Chick-fil-A logo and website.

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Cow ads are eye catching and funny. Most importantly, Chick-fil-A’s sophisticated branding differentiates it from its closest competitors. While McDonalds’ and KFC’s commercials are very straightforward, Chick-fil-A pays close attention to detail and uses clever humor and unexpected twists to captivate the audience.

Company Website

Advertisement

Slogan

Chick-fil-A

The website focuses on Chick-fil-A food and guides customers to purchase Chickfil-A products by “Order Food” and “View Menu” buttons.

The banner image features Chick-fil-A meals presented on a table. The look of the wesbsite is clean and polished.

The “ESPN: Hafftime Reeport” (intentionally mispelled) Chickfil-A commercial focuses on a whimsical situation created by cows. The commercial features sportscasters Joey Galloway and Adnan Virk review Alabama’s latest game. Instead of reading their normal script, the anchors keep repeating the word chicken. Next, the camera shows the teleprompter and two cows who were typing up the text. They drop a sign “Keep Going Guyz. Ur Doing Grate.” In the end, Chick-fil-A encourages customers to start their day right by ordering one of the three breakfast items by using the Chick-fil-A mobile app.

“Eat Mor Chikin”

McDonalds

Rather than directing customers to view their menu, the McDonald’s website tries to incentivize purchasing by presenting various discount coupons. The website is busy featuring multiple social media posts options on the bottom of the page. The overall color scheme is dark and high contrast.

McDonald’s Buttermilk Crispy Tenders TV Commercial, “Dinner at Grandma’s: Sunday” focuses on the convenience and taste of McDonalds food.

The commercial features a grandmother ironically substituting her home made chicken tenders with those from Mcdonalds. The commercial shows the grandma doing “better things” than cooking like sunbathing on the beach, reclining in her chair and passing time at the retirement home. In the end, the commercial suggests that McDonald’s food is as good as grandma’s.

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“I’m Lovin It”

Company Website

Advertisement

Slogan

KFC

“Georgia Gold or Nashville Hot” commercial focuses on Colonel Sanders, who is in the process of choosing between KFC products. The actor playing Colonel Sanders seems to have two personalities, one of which prefers Georgia Gold and the other, Nashville Hot. In the end, Colonel screams “What have I become?” and the commercial cuts to a call for action that encourages customers to try both chicken varieties at the restaurant.

“Finger lickin’ good”

KFC’s website also focuses on the food. Unlike its competitors, KFC presents all of its products on the top of the page. Instead of a drop down menu leading to other pages, KFC allows customers to view all their meals at once and click to learn more about them. The color scheme is bright with primarily red and white colors.

Public Opinion and Stakeholder Analysis A successful brand campaign cannot be completed without having an idea of how the general public feels about not only Chick-fil-A but also fast food restaurants in general. With the beginning (and continuing) trend of Americans trying to eat healthier, Simmons provides our team with some data on the general public’s overall opinion on eating out.

We discovered that out of everyone surveyed, which was 230.7 million people, 28 percent of people said they look for fresh ingredients when cooking, 14 percent mentioned that they prefer recipes while cooking and another 14 percent said that they feel guilty while eating fast food. At Chick-fil-A we are well aware of the stigmas surrounding fast food dining, which is why we believe that great customer service, quality food and a great menu selection can alter the public’s opinion so no one feels guilty while indulging in our product.

A small amount of people believe that eating fast food helps them stay within their budget, a slightly larger group, but still small said they prefer fast food to home cooked meals, and the largest group of these three, once again, still a fairly small percentage, about 13.7 million people said that fast food helps fit their busy lifestyle.

What we know from gathering that information is that people are reluctant to eating out as often. Chick-fil-A needs to stay affordable, stay fast and stick with quality ingredients to get people in the fast food corner. Well aware that the public opinion numbers mentioned above deal with all fast food and home cooking, our team narrowed the data down to look

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at just opinions of Chick-fil-A in order to figure out some fundamental and organizational changes that could take place. The results follow: Following the President’s definition of gay marriage Chick-fil-A caught a sour opinion in the public eye due to the political nature of the comments. However, a Rasmussen Report provided us with the numbers that 61 percent of people still view the company favorably. Our team is cognizant of the fact that Chick-fil-A may be too political in its ventures. We do not seek to change the policies of beliefs within the company, but taking into account the comments made and public opinion surrounding the controversy is something that needs to be taken seriously.

One large aspect Chick-fil-A has clearly prided itself in, which our team found through various publishing and studies is the quality of service the employees provide. Research companies QSR and SeeLevelHX released a study that gave results of Chick-fil-A has the best drive-thru service in the industry. When specifically asked what gives the company that sense of politeness, customers cited a simple “please and thank you.” Beyond the company own’s political standpoints our research has given us no indication that Chick-fil-A has aspects to the company that could prove harmless to our team.

As mentioned earlier, the trend of healthier eating within our target demographic could provide a challenge to Chick-fil-A’s product and sales, but we see no declines. Simmons OneView provided our team with the knowledge that 14 percent of people prefer to know

Have Chick-fil-A Customers Tried to Diet?

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the ingredients going into their food before they eat it. With that in mind, we believe Chickfil-A prides itself in all-natural chicken used in its menu items. On the Chick-fil-A website each menu item is clearly listed with all ingredients in the food item. Also in our research we failed to find any mention on social media of individuals slandering Chick-fil-A’s name with poor food quality, as they did with Taco Bell, McDonald’s and KFC. One other glaring piece of data Simmons provided our team is that a whopping 20 percent of people claimed they are working on a well-balanced diet nd 25 percent of people said they are trying to eat healthier. With that in mind Chick-fil-A knows what needs to be done in the food quality industry. To attract people who have negative opinions about fast food and believe it isn’t as healthy as other food products, Chick-fil-A will need to provide customers with high-quality food, better than its competitors, that can still stack up against non-fast food items and give consumers a good feeling as opposed to a sense of guilt after eating our product.

An area extremely relevant to our society that Chick-fil-A also competes in is social media.

International Business Times released an article, citing a study in which Chick-fil-A was voted the top fast food brand on social media. The article says this, “Forging past 2012 boycotts from an anti-gay controversy, Chick-fil-A honed its social media presence with an engaging voice, original visual content and timely posts.” What is especially interesting, is that experts cited, “The food chain goes full-throttle on social media, but then, like its restaurants, rests upon the seventh day, going offline Sundays.” Chick-fil-A is able to incorporate its values into its online presence, making the company feel even more relatable to customers.

Our team is well aware of the large, glooming controversy surrounding Chick-fil-A, however our research has shown us that on social media, customer experience, quality of food and fast food preferences, Chick-fil-A ranks very highly. Customers appreciate Chick-fil-A and we will work on bettering all of those aspects, increasing public opinion so all can view the company favorably and potentially expanding the amount of franchises to reach a larger range of consumers.

Where to next The main goal of our team going forward is making it impossible for consumers to answer anything other than “Chick-fil-A” when asked where they are most likely to visit for dining, not simply fast food. On top of that, with the emergence of healthy eating and fad dieting Chick-fil-A needs to promote the quality ingredients and safe methods used to produce and cook its food. People want great food with good quality in a timely manner and Chick-fil-A will aim to deliver that. By teaming up with our sponsors and partnerships we can expand the brand name and make Chick-fil-A a household restaurant. No longer will people desire to visit anywhere other than Chick-fil-A when craving fast food.

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Stakeholder Analysis

Chick-fil-A Corporation and Franchise Owners Chick-fil-A is a privately held organization, meaning most of its financial records are not available to the public. The current CEO, Dan Cathy, is the son of Chick-fil-A’s founder, S. Truett Cathy. Cathy wishes to preserve the ideals that Chick-fil-A was established upon. With over 2,000 locations, franchise owners, or “operators” as Chick-fil-A refers to them, are the “backbone” of the operation. Operators are responsible for the overall functioning of each individual establishment and are expected to take a “hands-on” approach to management.

Chick-fil-A’s operators are essential to Chick-fil-A’s overall growth and expansion.

Employees Chick-fil-A prides itself on its superior customer service in comparison to its competitors.

According to QSR Magazine’s annual drive-thru report released last October, Chick-fil-A is the most polite chain in the fast-food industry. Employees are trained to smile, have a “pleasant demeanor” and respond to customers with the signature, “My pleasure.” “It’s all about speed and accuracy, but we know our customers appreciate that we can be nice while being fast and accurate,” Mark Moraitakis, senior director of hospitality and service design, told QSR. “Eye contact and smiling go a long way in the drive-thru experience.” Customers 20

expect the same treatment from employees at every Chick-fil-A location so employee training is imperative to success.

Farmers and Supply Chain Farmers, especially poultry farmers, hold much weight in the overall supply chain of Chickfil-A. In 2014, Chick-fil-A made a promise to consumers stating, “By the end of 2019, every customer, at every restaurant across the country will be served chicken without antibiotics every day.” This means Chick-fil-A must work closely with its suppliers in order to ensure such goals are met on time. If Chick-fil-A fails to follow through, health conscious consumers may become weary of eating Chick-fil-A’s chicken and the brand could gain a negative reputation.

LGBTQ Community According to a Gallup poll, LGBTQ account for nearly 10 million U.S. citizens. While Chick-fil-A has tried to stay quitter about its religious agenda, they are still ostracizing a large portion of consumers and those that support LGBTQ individuals. Chick-fil-A has received criticism and backlash from the LGBTQ community for its stance against gay marriage among other issues. According to ThinkProgress.org these include: Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy has previously stated that the company was “guilty as charged” of opposing same-sex marriage.

“Chick-fil-A has given at least $5 million to anti-gay organizations, including known hate groups and proponents of ex-gay therapy, since 2003, including almost $2 million in both 2009 and 2010.”

The Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index gave Chick-fil-A a rating of zero, “which signifies that the company does not offer one protection, one benefit, or even one diversity training for its LGBT employees.”

Sponsorship Chick-fil-A’s biggest sponsorship is seen through the aptly named Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

Through this sponsorship, The Chick-fil-A foundation has been able to distribute over $19 million over the past 14 years. The money goes towards various philanthropic efforts such as, “scholarships, foster care through WinShape Homes , Lighthouse for the Blind, academic coaches through Play It Smart and more.” In addition, this sponsorship helps the brand create national exposure, increase social media following and overall brand awareness in places of the country that may not have Chick-fil-A franchises.

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SWOT Analysis Strengths Specializes in chicken industry with quality product, known for “the chicken sandwich�

Customer experience is valued and emphasized Consistent and recognizable messaging throughout advertising and imaging Being closed on Sundays creates demand on Mondays

Weaknesses Conservative values and reputation can offput consumers Only limited to United States, less area for growth Continued skepticism towards fast food industry and health concerns

Opportunities Growth with a small amount of drive-throughs and smaller number of restaurants than leading competitors (2000 vs McDonald’s 15,000) Transition into being viewed as a reliable sustainable company Current social media usage could expanded to create more interaction with consumers

Threats Continuous growth means sales could potentially face a large dip or plateau High demand may lead to the spread of avian diseases such as bird flu, decreasing the consumption of chicken and increasing the price for the raw material Growing competition as more restaurants turn to healthier menus, including more chicken options

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Summary Despite the constant growth Chick-fil-A has demonstrated since it was founded, there are three key issues that we believe negatively impact the overall profit and productivity of the chain. Our greatest concern is that of Chick-fil-A’s lack of social media presence. We believe that Chick-fil-A does not take full advantage of the power of advertising on social media platforms. We believe that by increasing the presence Chick-fil-A has on social media has the potential to increase overall revenue. One way this can be addressed is to become more interactive on various platforms. For example, replying to tweets from fans on Twitter could increase name recognition. This is something other franchises, such as Taco Bell, have utilized in the past. Similarly, social media serves as free advertising; there would be minimal monetary risk associated with becoming more involved with the online world.

Our second key concern is that of the environment. Meat-based systems require more energy, land and water resources than those of lacto-ovo-vegetarian diets. As concerns grow for the environment, we believe Chick-fil-A’s dependence on meat could be deleterious to their growth over time. However, by investing time and money into sustainable farming and more eco-friendly alternatives in regards to raising, farming and selling chicken could be a sizable initial cost, but prove to be profitable in the long run. By increasing the focus on becoming a more green country, this could help address the environmental concerns that may be raised in regards to the meat reliance of Chick-fil-A. Lastly, the lack of franchises in both the United States and the international market is something that needs to be addressed. In the United States, Chick-fil-A holds over 2,000 locations. Numbers of competitors, such as Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) are much higher: as of 2013, KFC held nearly 5,000 locations in the United States alone. We believe increasing both the number of domestic franchises as well as opening international locations would prove to be advantageous. This would make Chick-fil-A a more competitive and more expansive fast food corporation.

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Campaign Strategy

Campaign Objective The main goal of our campaign is to make our food healthy and clean with quality ingredients and safe methods used to produce and cook our food. We aim to improve the quality and the perception of our brand. We know our customers want great food, great quality and great service; we know this is something we can deliver. We believe we are so much more than just another fast food chain and our aim is for our customers to feel the same way.

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Consumer Target

Primary Target: Carol Carol is a 32 year old, mother of two who lives in a suburb outside of Atlanta with her husband and their two dogs. Carol graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing.

She met her husband her sophomore year and they got engaged two years after graduating.

Their youngest child is eight months old and their oldest is three years old. Her husband works full-time, so Carol is kept busy between caring for her children and volunteering at her church. Carol values time with her family and every Sunday, her husband, children and she attend Sunday Morning Mass. Carol values family and always uses Sundays as a day for her family to spend quality time together.

Carol’s busy schedule makes cooking at times extremely difficult. However, always wants to make sure her children are getting the best food possible. Her busy lifestyle is alleviated by relying on fast food to feed her children. However, she is aware of the health risks

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associated with fast food consumption. This is why she brings her children to Chick-fil-A. She appreciates the fresh and healthy options Chick-fil-A offers.

Why Carol?

Carol falls into Chick-fil-A’s primary consumer age group, between 25 and 34 years old. We are targeting this group of consumers to increase their support of the Chick-fil-A brand by addressing issues that are important to them such as healthy, fresh, yet quick, food.

Chick-fil-A consumers are 49 percent more likely to have two children in their household according to Simmons data, Carol is the mother of a 3 year old and an 8 month old baby.

According to Simmons data 46 percent of Chick-fil-A consumers belong to a religious organization and are active in their faith based communities. Carol is a consistent church goer and dedicates her Sundays to her religious community.

Carol lives in a small suburb outside of Atlanta. Chick-fil-A’s largest consumer market is located in the South due to Chick-fil-A being founded in Georgia.

Carol often relies on fast food due to her busy lifestyle but is very aware of the health risks associated with fast food consumption. For this reason, she chooses Chick-fil-A for fresh and healthy options for her family. According to Simmons data, 27 percent of consumers like Carol have spent approximately $50-99 on fast food in the last 30 days.

What does Carol need?

Carol’s busy lifestyle does not always permit her to cook at home with her family so she wants healthy, nutritious, fast and easy food options for her children.

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Secondary Target: Jordan Jordan is a 23 year old college student at the University of Alabama. He is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and a minor in Business and is interested in pursuing a career in this field. Jordan grew up working on his parent’s dairy farm. With the skills he has learned in his major, he has helped his parents expand their business through the use of social media and the internet. He is interested in starting his own company and believes in the power of utilizing online resources and social media to get his ideas on the ground.

Despite his busy school schedule, Jordan is a part of the club wrestling team on campus. To help him succeed on the team, Jordan uses his phone to track his caloric intake as well as his work-out plan. Jordan is conscious of what he puts in his body because he wants to have enough energy throughout the day to study hard and work out. Jordan’s favorite restaurant to frequent is Chick-fil-A for two reasons. Not only is Chick-fil-A’s convenient placement in the University of Alabama’s Ferguson Student Center draw in Jordan, but he also appreciates the fresh and healthy options to help keep him full and energized throughout the day. Chickfil-A’s mobile app makes ordering and pick up easy, fast and quick for his hectic schedule.

In addition to wanting to help his body, Jordan is concerned with helping the environment.

He believes that people should be more environmentally conscious and everyone has a personal obligation to such. Jordan believes that Chick-fil-A is an environmentally conscious company and this is one of the driving reasons he chooses to eat here frequently.

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Why Jordan?

Jordan falls into the secondary consumer target audience, individuals aged between 18 and 24. Chick-fil-A’s healthy options are what draw Jordan to choose to eat here.

The age group that Jordan is a part of also expresses great concern for the environment Chick-fil-A’s regard for the environment is another factor to which Jordan, and students like Jordan, are attracted. Approximately 40.8 percent of these younger consumers are more likely to be environmentally conscience, based on Simmons data.

Jordan’s use of technology aligns with the rest of his demographic group. This means that social media is a form of interaction and communication that is effective for reaching this audience to understand their motives, opinions and values regarding fast food. According to Simmons data, 47.5 percent of these consumers talk about the things they see on social media or networking sites in face-to-face conversations. ordan falls into th

What does Jordan need?

Fast, easy and healthy food options that can be communicated to him through the use of social media. Jordan would be likely to use social media and other mobile apps that could persuade him to eat Chick-fil-A.

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Business Objective The ultimate business objective of our campaign is to further penetrate Chick-fil-A’s existing market by emphasizing our commitment to bettering local communities through sustainable business practices. We wish to grow the audience we already have by increasing consumer awareness of Chick-fil-A’s social and environmental impact. This campaign must encourage and convince consumers that Chick-fil-A is bettering lives by sourcing from local, organic farms therefore boosting the local economy and creating a healthier ecosystem. Our target market values an environmentally friendly company and we hope to increase favorable attitudes towards Chick-fil-A. These sort of attitudes will be shaped by Chick-fil-A’s plan to reduce their carbon footprint. This campaign is a continuation of previous Chick-fil-A initiatives such as phasing out antibiotics from their chickens. However, this campaign will establish Chick-fil-A as a leader in sustainability within the fast food industry.

Chick-fil-A is praised for quality chicken and excellent customer service.

Competitive Advantage Chick-fil-A is a largely recognized company with a mass following. Since its inception, Chickfil-A has been widely praised for its superior quality chicken and the creation of “the original chicken sandwich.” Such specialization in the chicken industry is a strong competitive advantage in comparison to other players. Chick-fil-A has implemented a series of quality checks for their chicken and doesn’t use any fillers or artificial preservatives. Furthermore, the customer experience is valued and emphasized at Chick-fil-A franchises unlike many of its competitors. Every time a customer steps foot into a Chick-fil-A restaurant, they know they will be greeted with a kind smile and the famous response, “My pleasure.” Such customer satisfaction is unparalleled across the fast food sector and Chick-fil-A is able to capitalize on providing an enjoyable experience to its customers. This combination of great food and a great customer experience truly set Chick-fil-A apart from its competitors and are its greatest strengths.

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Unique Selling Proposition The unique selling proposition for Chick-fil-A is the idea of quality chicken. Currently, Chickfil-A only sources its chicken from chicken farms located in the USA, but our campaign is going to take this one step further. By purchasing from local farmers, Chick-fil-A is taking their commitment to quality a little closer to home. Chick-fil-A customers will feel confident and nourished in the food they consume paired with an underlying feeling of supporting their communities through their purchases. “Quality chicken with a quality mission� is our way of pitching our unique selling proposition. We believe this truly captures the essence and distinctiveness of the Chick-fil-A franchise. Not only does Chick-fil-A pride itself in its real chicken, but also its mission to bettering the communities they are found in. Quality chicken with a quality mission, encompasses the entire Chick-fil-A desired customer experience.

The unique selling proposition for Chickfil-A is quality chicken, quality mission.

Differentiation What truly separates Chick-fil-A from the competition is the idea that it stands for something bigger than itself. Through the creation of the Chick-fil-A Foundation and dedication to providing customers only the best in terms of both food and service, it has been proven time and time again that Chick-fil-A cares about the communities it is serving. Through this campaign we wish to further highlight the inherent sense of obligation felt by Chick-fil-A to strengthen communities and showcase new sustainability initiatives. By only using chicken from local farmers, we are tremendously reducing our carbon footprint in regard to CO2 emissions. In turn, we will be boosting the local economy and creating growth within these communities. For instance, when customers buy local that money circulates within the community instead of flowing back somewhere else. When customers eat at Chick-fil-A they will know they are backing a commendable mission that also directly impacts their lives.

Chick-fil-A will differentiate itself by becoming a leader in sustainability within the fast food industry and driving tangible change in the places they care for.

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Positioning and Branding As the nation gravitates toward a healthier and cleaner lifestyle, Chick-fil-A is proud to say it maintains a brand position as one of the healthiest fast food chains in the country.

Other restaurants in the industry claim to provide healthier options that have been farmed cleaner or pieced together with more natural ingredients, but few, if any, of our competitors are on the same level as Chick-fil-A in those categories. Chick-fil-A also brands itself as the friendliest customer service a patron can receive when choosing to eat out. Not only will a customer feel welcomed, he or she will leave thankful they received the warm sense of community they desired.

Well aware that there is always room for growth, Chick-fil-A has a desired brand position that would put the company among the leaders, possibly a revolutionary, in the environmental stability sector of the food industry. Not only does Chick-fil-A want to continue to be a staple in fast food among consumers, we want as many organizations as possible to notice the priority Chick-fil-A places on the environment. No more will outsiders claim Chick-fil-A ignores its carbon footprint.

Traditionally Chick-fil-A has been using “name brand recognition” as its primary branding strategy. While effective, the executives within the corporation believe implementing a different strategy could prove to be even more effective. By utilizing the strategy of “brand extension” Chick-fil-A will be sending its brand into a new market: the environment. This new position is not stating that Chick-fil-A, in the past, has ruled out the environment and operated carelessly. It is a promise, to continue to improve that sector of the food industry.

By using recycled products, raising chickens in a natural habitat with life’s intended processes, refraining from pesticides and other chemicals, Chick-fil-A’s carbon footprint and presence in the environmental health industry will far outweigh those of its competitors.

As of now, there is a portion of the population that views Chick-fil-A as a conservative company that is non-inclusive. Due to past comments from Chick-fil-A’s CEO, Dan Cathy, the public believes the company could take steps to not only build up broken bridges, but become even friendlier and more successful. However, Cathy has made the company’s political and religious values very clear, and although not subject to change anytime soon, Chick-fil-A aims to continue growing and raising popularity in other areas. By becoming more environmentally conscious, promoting a sense of community, experimenting with local farmers and local products, Chick-fil-A hopes to continue to grow and get all people on the side of healthy, tasty food without changing what the company believes.

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Our campaign, “Eat Better Chikin�, we believe, will get more people invested in Chick-fil-A after they see the positive impact it is making in the environment and its efforts to reach, and promote, a sense of community. Chick-fil-A aims to be at the top of the fast food industry with our core values behind us, while also getting customers to see other core values that focus on food and community: respect of employees and customers, safe, clean, well-prepared food, strong sense of community, environmentally conscience and positive experiences to anyone who walks through the doors.

Brand Positioning Map

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Campaign Scope Our “Eat Better Chikin” campaign will run for a full year. The campaign will begin in April 2018 and run through March 2019. Our campaign focuses on sustainability and our drive towards using locally farmed ingredients. The campaign will peak in the fall since all of our campaign concepts are associated with autumn and the harvest. Likewise, late summer and early fall correspond with college students going back to school and making goals to eat healthier during the semester. The first period of promotional marketing materials will be released before the summer in anticipation our Pop-Up Chikin Stands and youth football camp.

The campaigns will target our primary and secondary consumers in the Southern and Eastern United States. Based on data from our Simmons research, many of our customers are from the South and we wish to increase consumption by our loyal consumers. The Eastern states are both population dense and dense with Chick-fil-A restaurant locations (Wilson, 2014) so we wish to increase consumption and brand loyalty in this region.

Furthermore, these states are more wary of some of the issues Chick-fil-A has had in the past with anti-LGBTQ groups.

We will emphasize the social media and televised promotional elements of our campaign.

While Chick-fil-A is well known for their “Eat More Chikin” and cow billboards, digital advertising and technology use is prevalent in this digital age so we will match these trends with our marketing strategies and focus less on print advertisements. We will run several social media campaigns and advertise on our various platforms to improve social media following and attract our social media savvy consumers. These campaigns will encourage followers to keep up with our Pop-Up Chikin Stands and guess where they might appear next. The social media campaigns will also encourage consumers to share their hometown heroes with us and go hand in hand with several commercials we will run which will feature these heroes and the local farmers that we will get our ingredients from.

Our commercials will run primarily between 3pm and 10pm, including primetime TV hours and late night TV as well. This time corresponds with the time that mothers are getting off work, picking up their children from school and making dinner plans. This period also corresponds with the time that our secondary consumers, college students, are finishing classes and making dinner plans too. We believe biweekly commercials will emphasize Chick-fil-A’s firm commitment towards environmental sustainability and our support for local farmers and communities.

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Chick-fil-A Revolutionized the fast-food industry “Eat Better Chikin� Campaign Key Concept

Reinforces Unique Selling Position Improves the Brand Image of Chick-fil-A Puts Chick-fil-A in a leading position

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Creative Brief Brand Today Chick-fil-A is a family-owned company dedicated to an exceptional customer experience driven by family values. Chick-fil-A positions itself as a premium fast-food restaurant that passionately and carefully serves chicken sandwiches to customers.

Generosity, simplicity, unexpected fun, innovativeness and enthusiasm guide Chick-fil-A’s visual and written strategies. Current visual materials are clean, straightforward, energetic, intelligent and humorous. The company ensures visual consistency by using several colors across all mediums (Red (PMS 186C), Yellow (PMS 123C), Orange (PNS 152C), Greens (PMS 3975C; PMS4505C; PMS7494C), Blue (PMS 7453C), Purple (PMS 2655C), Cardinal Red (PMS 1807C), Brown (PMS 4625C), Skin Pink (PMS 7499C) and Grey (PMS 404C)).

The visual materials are also limited to strict logo-use guidelines, two typefaces (Caecilia, Franklin Gothic) and several supplementary elements (dotted rule element, food images, square and script logo). Such consistency and simplicity have built trust and strong brand recognition with the public over the years.

Historically, the brand has been centered around the “Cowz”. Cows are central to the TV commercials, billboards and many of Chick-fil-A’s other PR campaigns. Chick-fil-A introduced a “Cow Appreciation Day” in 1997 and a cow-themed calendar in 1998. In many of the marketing materials, the cows find themselves in commonplace situations, adding to the humor.

After partnering with a new agency in 2016, Chick-fil-A started working on the “Cows-plus” marketing strategy. The company decided to tell the story of its brand and food through more than just cows. Instead of having Richardson Group work on all the Chick-fil-A marketing, it is handled by several small shops. For instance, Starcom is handing Chick-filA’s media, Erich & Kallman is coming up with a new non-cow campaign, DesignStudio is redesigning the company’s image and brand identity. Finally, Moxie is working on Chick-filA’s social media presence.

Under the guidance of new agencies, Chick-fil-A’s newest campaign has shifted away from the cows. Instead, their “Chicken for Breakfast” campaign features well-known historical figures like Alexander Graham Bell, Amelia Earhart and Thomas Edison – whose ideas were considered crazy at the time – eating breakfast items from Chick-fil-A. The theme of the new campaign is “Chicken for Breakfast - It’s not as crazy as you think.” The campaign implies the innovativeness of eating chicken for breakfast. Additionally, the campaign incorporates 35

both historical and modern references. For example, Amelia Earhart pilots a plane like the one she flew across the Atlantic in one advertisement. Yet near the end, she takes a selfie.

Chick-fil-A Color Scheme Primary

Secondary

Tone

The tone of Chick-fil-A is welcoming and engaging. The company maintains straightforwardness and humor in its tone in all campaigns. In the past, the tone was executed through the Cowz language. Now, the tone is executed through the six characters of the new “Chicken for Breakfast” campaign.

Message strategy Simple message strategy has been a part of the brand for many years. In both the Cow and Cow-plus campaigns, Chick-fil-A focused on the emotional appeal by creating memorable and humorous ads with cows and famous historical figures that feature Chick-fil-A products.

Issues and Opportunities Our campaign aims to address three key issues, the first of which is the environment. The main goal of the “Eat Better Chikin” campaign is to promote a cause that is crucial to the success of Chick-fil-A and is important to customers. We want to be known as a pioneer in the fast-food industry – improving the quality of fast-food by sourcing ingredients locally and improving the environment by reducing our environmental footprint.

The campaign’s second key focus is a strong social media presence. Our research suggested that our target consumers are active on social media. Yet, the company does 36

not utilize many available tools to engage with customers online. One of the objectives of the campaign is to improve the Chick-fil-A’s presence on social media and increase online engagement. The “Local Heroes” initiative is one of the tools that Chick-fil-A will employ to engage with the public. Chick-fil-A will share the stories of local farmers who work with the company to evoke the feelings of pride in the local communities.

Third, the campaign will focus on increasing the number of franchises in both the United States and abroad. In particular, we will focus on increasing the number of franchises on the East Coast, which has fewer than other parts of the country.

Campaign The “Eat Better Chikin” campaign aims to build relationships with customers. By using emotional appeal, “From You, For You” will evoke feelings of trust and confidence in the brand. Since Chick-fil-A has an established consumer market, emotional appeal is most suitable. Consumers are aware of the superiority of Chick-fil-A’s food over other fast-food chains. Therefore, the campaign will emphasize the environmental sustainability side of the campaign to build trust.

Customer emotion: Confidence Chick-fil-A’s target customers are active, educated and environmentally conscious. They’re also largely aware of the health-risks associated with conventional fast food. Therefore, we believe it is essential for Chick-fil-A to acquire quality ingredients in a sustainable manner. Customers should feel that they are consuming healthy food while supporting their neighbors.

Tone of the Campaign: Welcoming and supporting Our tone will be consistent with the overall brand of Chick-fil-A. While maintaining the welcoming and supportive tone across all mediums, the campaign will emphasize the excellent quality of Chick-fil-A food.

Trustworthiness Chick-fil-A’s past initiatives paved the way for a sustainable campaign. Additionally, the company’s efforts to show Chick-fil-A behind the scenes, share beliefs and support local 37

communities built strong brand recognition and trust with the existing target market.

During the campaign, Chick-fil-A will continue its efforts to improve local communities by sourcing ingredients from organic farms. Most importantly, consumers and organizations will be able to see the improvements in their community for themselves. By telling stories of “Community Heroes” on social media and TV, the customers will learn about the improvements that Chick-fil-A brought into the lives of local farmers. The slogan of the new campaign will also imply the improved quality and better mission of Chick-fil-A. The change from “mor” to “better” will suggest an improvement of the Chick-fil-A mission and quality of food.

Why should the market care?

Research suggests that mothers and college students believe that healthy, environmentally sustainable food is important. They will appreciate the improved quality of the food and our commitment to supporting local communities and the environment.

Steps after the campaign The customers should have a better perception of the company and purchase Chick-fil-A products more frequently following the campaign.

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PR Plan

Media Exposure and Tracking In order to best understand how our target consumers interact with the Chickfil-A brand, it is imperative we track media exposure. We will implement Factiva and LexisNexis to monitor all magazine, newspaper and online content as a large portion of our target market still engages with these media outlets. To further maximize the results of our campaigns, we will use the popular programs BurrellesLuce and Hootsuite to track exposure. In addition, we will use social media analytics, such as Facebook analytics, to further see how our consumers interact with Chick-fil-A.

Media Relations Strategy We plan on not only strengthening, but increasing our relationships with various media outlets in order to best target our desired consumers. We want to successfully reach our target audience by using media outlets they interact with on a daily basis. Chick-fil-A currently does not hold a large social media presence and we believe this is imperative in order to interact with our secondary consumer market, aged between 18 and 24. According to Simmons data, nearly 50 percent of these consumers talk about the things they see on social media or networking sites in face-to-face conversations. We want to deepen these relationships and increase public perception of Chick-fil-A as a brand that gives back. This push will be seen through our social media campaign #ChickfilAHero.

We believe this campaign will also hit our target primary consumer who falls between 25 and 34 years old. This target also uses social media as part of daily life. Chick-fil-A must increase consumer engagement on these platforms in order to remain competitive. In addition to social media use, this target market also receives a great deal of their news from sources such as USA Today. In addition, this target looks to food bloggers and writers to look for quick, easy inspiration for meals to prepare for their families.

Press kits will be sent out to all relevant media outlets to inform them of events, sponsorships, partnerships and everything that is Chick-fil-A. The cost of maintaining our media relations is projected to cost $25,000.

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Relevant Media Contacts USA Today: Ashley​​Day, ‘Eats’ Writer, asday@usatoday.com, @ashnday Serious Eats: J.​​Kenji​​López-Alt, Managing Culinary Director, kenji@seriouseats.com, @ kenjilopezalt The Heavy Table: Tricia​​Cornell, Contributing Writer, tricia@heavytable.com Thyme is Honey, Daniella​​Bruflodt, Blogger, writer, and social media strategist dani@thyma-is-honey.com , @Thyme_is_Honey ‘The Salt’ Reporter: Allison​​Aubrey, National Public Radio, @AudreyNPRFood Nation’s Restaurant News: Bret​​Thorn, Senior Food Editor, bret.thorn@penton.com , @ FoodWriterDiary Business Insider: Kate​​Taylor, Senior Reporter, Food and Beverage, ktaylor@businessinsider. com, @Kate_H_Taylor Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Ligaya Figueras, Senior Editor, Food and Dining, Ligaya.

Figueras@ajc.com , @LigayaFigueras Feast Magazine: Liz​​Miller, Senior Editor, emiller@feaststl.com , @lizzaymillah The Capital Times, Lindsay Christians, food writer, lchristians@madison.com, @LindsayC608 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, dining critic, food writer, cdeptolla@journalsentinel.com, @ mkediner Gwinnett Daily Post, Curt Yeomans, Atlanta citizen, food & drink writer curtyeomans@ gwinnettdailypost.com, @CYeomansGDP Atlanta Journal Constitution, Ben Brasch, Atlanta citizen, food and opinion writer, ben. brasch@coxinc.com, @ben_brasch

Headlines of Recent Stories The majority of press regarding Chick-fil-A is mainly covering new franchise openings in local newspapers. The majority of stories covering Chick-fil-A highlights work done by Chickfil-A franchise owner. It appears Chick-fil-A does not garner much media attention through national outlets. Below are several recent articles highlighting some of Chick-fil-A’s current initiatives and values.

• Chick-fil-A BOWL: MARKETING MASTERPIECE; Football game and restaurant chain grow together as bowl becomes one of the most popular in the nation- Joe Guy Collier, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution • Chick-fil-A to feature Local Hero Night today-Odessa American staff, Odessa American (Texas) 40

• Chick-fil-A tests new family style meal initiative-Kim Mikus, Chicago Daily Herald • Chick-fil-A’s New App Hits Top Spot in iTunes App Store, More than One Million Downloads Since Launch, India Retail News • Chick-fil-A owner honored for supporting schools- Lisa Boykin Batts, The Wilson Daily Times (North Carolina) • Chick-fil-A should be model for conventions, Ross says- Keith Lawrence, MessengerInquirer (Owensboro, Kentucky) • From cows to Slurpees, brands take unofficial holidays to bank; • Chick-fil-A, 7-Eleven among companies that offer free food to help drive up sales-Athena Cao, USA TODAY • Charleston resident receives $1,000 Chick-fil-A scholarship, Charleston Gazette-Mail • Students, Chick-fil-A Partner to Aid the Hungry-SPECIAL REPORT, The Augusta Chronicle (Georgia) • Chick-fil-A to host spirit day fundraiser for Wounded Warrior Fund May 23-Cape Gazette staff, Cape Gazette (Lewes, Delaware)

PR STRATEGIES Join us: Pop Up Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A has approximately 2,000 chains in the United States. That number means there are regions of America, in all states, where Chick-fil-A does not reach people. With that in mind, Chick-fil-A aims to make itself more accessible for people who are busy or may not have easy access to a local Chick-fil-A. We will now be starting temporary “pop up chicken stands.”

These stands will go up in densely populated, urban areas during the summer stretch of months -June-August - where foot traffic is plentiful.The specific cities are: New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Louisville, cities that are popular tourist destinations in summer, which we expect to increase foot traffic and popularity even more.

Not necessarily posted in cities where Chick-fil-A’s are non existent, however potentially placed in hectic downtown areas where restaurant chains may not be.Tourist numbers are up in the summer and people do not mind walking around and being outside, so having it in densely populated areas in nice weather will increase foot traffic even more. Staying open for just one day, we believe the stands will garner even more interest and engagement due to the fact they will not be up for extended periods of time making everyone able to push it off and visit when they best can.

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Chick-fil-A’s main goal with the pop up stands is to build social media involvement. By using a Snapchat filter that is only available within a mile of the stand, we believe people will want to show up to be able to do something that not everyone has the capability of doing. Our company will also encourage downloads of the Chick-fil-A app. If customers who are aware the stand may be coming to their town download the app and reach a certain page on the app, they can show up and receive a free sandwich or fries at the stand.

As mentioned above, the stands will have our signature chicken sandwiches, waffle fries and our sought after lemonade. The food will hold Chick-fil-A’s quality standards and be priced as it would in a restaurant, which will encourage customers even further to download the app.

By creating our pop up stands, generating social media buzz and getting app involvement, Chick-fil-A will benefit internally while also promoting our quality mission by using quality chicken. We want our services to be available and desired. We believe the pop up stands will play into both of those wants.

Help us recognize a local hero Each town has special people. Each family has someone remarkable in it. We want to know who those people are. Chick-fil-A, in an effort to raise PR tactics, credibility and increase public opinion, is holding a contest aptly called “Local Hero.” The concept of the local hero is simple, people, not necessarily customers, are encouraged to nominate an individual from his or her town, city, village, or area who they think deserves to be recognized nationally and rewarded appropriately.

The main goals of this contest are to increase public opinion of our brand and increase social media involvement. The concepts are simple. People will nominate someone they know via social media platforms with “#ChickfilAHero” so a team within Chick-fil-A can sort the nominations. Chick-fil-A will then choose 25 heroes, based on who the team thinks is most deserving of being recognized and featured on our website. From the 25 initial “local heroes”, who will all be featured under a special tab on the Chick-fil-A website, will have a photo and biography detailing what they did and why they were chosen. The nation will then be told and encouraged to vote down those 25 to a final three “heroes.”

The campaign will run in the winter season, specifically around Christmas time so we can give back for the holidays, to symbolize a holiday gift from Chick-fil-A. Research shows fast food is consumed more often in winter than summer also, so people will be visiting our restaurant more often and be primed to nominate.

Following the narrowing down of the 25 heroes, Chick-fil-A will go to the three finalists’ 42

cities and throw a party on his or her behalf, courtesy of Chick-fil-A. We recognize that our brand and company would not exist without, not only our wonderful customers, but people who embody what Chick-fil-A holds to high standards: friendliness, cooperation, courtesy and respect. We recognize not everyone has been a customer at Chick-fil-A, but we hope that a campaign that focuses on human decency and giving back to deserving people will get individuals who may not be inclined to visit our website or chains, to do so. People are amazing, they deserve to be recognized and rewarded.

We hope this contest will create buzz and go viral because everyone knows someone deserving of a party. Maybe it’s a selfless middle school teacher. A basketball coach, a friend, an aunt. Whomever it may be, we want to know who they are and we want people involved on social media to tell us.

Chick-fil-A & the Atlanta Falcons To go along with our countless sponsorships, partners and nation involvement, Chick-fil-A is going one step further and partnering with the Atlanta Falcons organization in an effort to give back to the local Atlanta communities.

Chick-fil-A would not be around if it were not for the people of Atlanta and we acknowledge that. With that in mind, we are aiming to give back to local, underprivileged communities by hosting a one-day athletic camp, sponsored by the Falcons and Chick-fil-A. The camp will take place in the summer, when kids are off school and parents may have more free time to either transport the children, or come and watch their kids engage with other children and NFL players, which the parents are encouraged to do.

Chick-fil-A envisions the camp going viral and creating buzz by being promoted by the NFL and by being hosted and taught by Atlanta Falcons players. We aim to promote education, fitness, healthy eating and community engagement, which we believe the camp will do. The camp will run one day, from breakfast time to dinnertime, with two meals being provided by Chick-fil-A. The camp will restrict the age range to six through twelve, focusing truly on children.

Atlanta’s camp will be free for the kids, but will come at a working price. We want them to submit why they deserve to be in the camp. It can be via a social media post, a photo, a letter, a video, any way they see fit. Their parents can submit it upon their behalf, just as long as the kid is doing the work!

A team within Chick-fil-A will choose the children, considering there will be a limited amount of spots (we aren’t restricting numbers, it simply comes down to a matter of space) the

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first children to submit their reasoning will most likely be chosen. Let’s assume the camp will hold 500 children, the first 500 will most likely get chosen assuming they’re in the age range, come from inner city, underprivileged areas and followed the submitting guidelines.

Mercedes-Benz stadium will host the camp and will bus in all of the children to the stadium.

The kids will then have the opportunity to learn and play with their peers and NFL players.

A quality mission is exactly what we’re hoping to promote, through community involvement and even our food, which will be catered and hold up to our quality standards.

Public relations will be in full effect with the camp by sending out the press release. We will get people in the community on board, including Atlanta media outlets who will pick it up, promote it in the papers and give press so more people can sign onto the camp and people from all around the state and country can see what Chick-fil-A stands for.

Help us, help you With “Help us, help you” Chick-fil-A is aiming to promote public opinion, create social media engagement and give back to the communities. No group of people is more deserving than our farmers, so we’re helping them the way they help us, and our customers, every day. With that in mind, we want to recognize our farmers and give them the credit and recognition they deserve.

Chick-fil-A will be going out to the farms that provide Chick-fil-A restaurants with their produce and chicken and finding out who is behind all of the hard work giving customers their delicious food. We want to put names to faces of Chick-fil-A’s farmers and make them feel like celebrities, even if just for a short period of time. Once we can directly connect with the people who are helping our customers and contributing to our unique selling position of quality chicken on a quality mission we will recognize them in big ways.

Our research has shown that the south and northeast regions should be our targeted areas, so we will be focusing on those regions, but in rural areas. Chick-fil-A picking out the farmers and featuring them in commercials will take place in the fall and spring seasons, when farming is either ending or coming back so people around the community can gain a new appreciation that many times, farmers providing them their food, do not have year-round work, emotional appeal is very important in this campaign. Also by spreading our chickens out in various baskets, we will have initiatives or campaigns going in each season of the year so Chick-fil-A is never truly out of people’s minds.

Billboards will be put up so people driving the roads and highways can see who is providing the restaurants of those areas with the food they love so much. Chick-fil-A also plans to film

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commercials of our CEO walking through fields or farms and meeting the people behind the magic. We really want to connect everyone and continue making Chick-fil-A feel like a family.

Our quality mission, served through our quality chicken, will be in effect greater than ever with this partnership with local farmers. We want them to be recognized and appreciated greatly for what they do for us.

The PR buzz generated from showing the country and those regions how we are capable of supporting local communities can only grow our public opinion, which is a main goal of ours.

Clean it up Throughout this research cycle, we have found on Simmons One View and through other outlets, that the environment has become an issue and point of concern for many people.

With those results in mind, Chick-fil-A is aiming to do its part and clean up the environment be refraining from using Styrofoam products.

Still seeking an alternative that is biodegradable, made out of recycled products, or product that can be thrown away and have no harm, Chick-fil-A aims to be a pioneer in the recycling and clean environment movement, among fast food companies. Not only will we reduced the amount of waste, clean up the environment and have easily recyclable products, we will create public relations and social media buzz due to people taking notice of our beneficial initiative.

Chick-fil-A envisions a press release going out, which will lead to articles being published in local papers that explain to people what we are doing. Once the local media gets a hold of it, we’re hoping, but moreso expecting, that the national media will take notice of the dialogue Chick-fil-A is starting. Not only will we be showing people how and where we care, but they’ll know that the containers their food and drinks are being served in is environmentally safe and doing no harm.

Regardless of people’s views on climate change, we believe that everyone wants to clean up the earth to keep it around as long as possible, which is why our “clean it up” plan was created.

The plan will run indefinitely, with a constant effort to better our products and clean them up to constantly improve their recyclability and environmental health.

The NRDC reported that each year, paper, aluminum, glass and plastics thrown away from fast food corporations amounts to $11.4 billion. Chick-fil-A wants to do its part to cut that down. Whether the products become biodegradable entirely, or simply don’t take as long as plastic to break down. A step in the right direction is still a step forward.

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Chick-fil-A with the NFL Press Release Chick-fil-A TEAMING UP WITH ATLANTA FALCONS The two organizations will come together to promote health and the community.

MADISON, Wisc. December 3, 2017 – As Chick-fil-A’s popularity continues to grow, the company is seeking opportunities to expand its outreach and better local communities. With those goals in mind, Chick-fil-A is teaming up with the Atlanta Falcons organization to host a one-day sports camp for underprivileged, local Atlanta children in the summer of 2018.

Chick-fil-A and the Falcons hope to teach kids strong values such as leadership and sportsmanship, promote healthy living and raise awareness to struggles in Atlanta’s underprivileged areas.

CEO Dan Cathy is eager to team up with such a beloved and popular organization in the Atlanta community. Ready to use his company as a platform to affect real change, Cathy believes the Falcons and Chick-fil-A can make magic happen, even if just for a day.

“The Falcons is one of the premiere organizations in one of the premiere leagues in the world.

Looking past that, it cares about the local community. I’m beyond excited to host and promote this camp and teach kids things I wish I knew growing up, while also letting them have some fun with their heroes.”

The camp will run for just one day, with children arriving in the morning and staying past dinnertime. Food will be catered by Chick-fil-A and be prepared and cooked with Chick-fil-A’s health values and standards in place.

The camp will be free for the community, however it does not come without a small amount of work. Children will be required to submit their reasoning, in any format they please, as to why they want to do the camp. In doing so, Chick-fil-A is ensuring the right kids are showing up.

“Atlanta is a special community with special people. We think each child deserves to take part in this, and maybe one day that can happen. For the time being, we believe the children chosen deserve a day of no stress, no struggles and no cares. Let them be kids.”

Chick-fil-A encourages everyone to sign their child up for the camp and come share in its thankfulness from the community and reap the benefits that wouldn’t be possible without the people. It’s more than a business. It’s quality chicken on a quality mission. ### Press contact: Cal Larsen // (920) 664-1386 // clarsen4@wisc.edu 46

Creative Plan Creative Idea The campaign’s Big Idea is to appeal to consumers emotionally to emphasize the Chick-fil-A brand’s unique selling position. Since our primary target audience is mothers aged 25 to 34, we want to emphasize the superior quality of Chick-fil-A food over other restaurants offering chicken sandwiches. To appeal to our secondary target audience, environmentally-conscious college students, we plan to highlight the company’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and improve the environment. To accomplish this, we want to increase awareness of Chickfil-A’s existing environmental efforts and become the leader in the high-quality fast-food industry.

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Campaign Elements Logo Chick-fil-A already has strong brand recognition and a well-known logo. The “Eat Better Chikin” campaign will continue using the existing logo on all of its products and promotional materials. The Chick-fil-A brand, color palette, typography, and mark application will also be used according to the company’s existing brand manual to ensure brand recognition throughout the new campaign.

Slogan Chick-fil-A’s slogan for the new campaign should be “Eat Better Chickin”. The slogan develops the company’s efforts to use brand extension in its marketing since it is derived from the current “Eat Mor Chikin” slogan. Most importantly, replacing the word “mor” with “better” emphasizes the company’s efforts to improve the quality of its food by sourcing ingredients from local farmers and bettering the environment. The shift from “mor” to “better” also highlights Chick-fil-A’s efforts to revolutionize the fast-food industry by shifting its focus from quantity to quality. While the word “Chikin” will continue to be intentionally misspelled to maintain brand recognition, the word “Better” will be spelled correctly to emphasize the improvement in Chick-fil-A food quality and mission.

Mascot The popularity of Chick-fil-A cows cannot be ignored. The cows have 738,182 fans on Facebook and 39,000 followers on Twitter. The cows will continue to be used in creative materials throughout this campaign because of their popularity among customers. Although, the current marketing efforts of Chick-fil-A were expanding beyond the cows, we believe that presence of the cows is necessary to maintain the distinct and recognizable image of Chickfil-A within the fast-food industry.

Tagline The new campaign will use the official tagline “Quality Chicken with a Quality Mission”.

This tagline highlights the important factors driving this campaign: food quality and a commitment to improving the environment. The tagline will only be used for internal communication, while “Eat Better Chikin” slogan will appear on all of the creative pieces.

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“Eat Better Chickin” “Eat Better Chikin” Campaign Slogan

Strong Brand Recognition Resonates with Target Audience Improved Quality of Food

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Unifying Elements of the Campaign The brand color scheme, typeface choices, logo, mascot and the “Eat Better Chikin” slogan will be the unifying elements of the campaign. The colors and logo usage will uphold the current Chick-fil-A brand standards.

Creative Concept Creating the Appeal Consumers appreciate Chick-fil-A’s delicious chicken sandwiches which stand above the rest in quality. Fresh food is important to both of our targets audiences. Additionally, our target markets include many existing Chick-fil-A customers who are already familiar with its branding. The welcoming yet clever language already familiar to Chick-fil-A’s customers will continue to attract our target market to the restaurant. The campaign’s emotional appeal will be effective because the tone of the messages will emphasize issues that are important to our target market.

Members of our primary target market often rely on fast food to feed their children because they have a busy schedule. However, they try to choose healthy nutritious options for their families to avoid health risks. Members of our secondary target audience share similar values. Many environmentally-conscious college students aged 18 to 24 believe that it is everyone’s obligation to preserve the planet. Being social and physically active, they also prefer to make healthy, yet convenient choices.

Our campaign can satisfy all of our consumers’ needs. By sourcing more ingredients from local farmers, we can improve the quality of our food. Additionally, our consumers will appreciate our efforts to reduce waste by adopting environmentally-friendly packaging.

Consumers will also appreciate our involvement in the community. At the end of the “Local Hero” campaign, Chick-fil-A will reward three winners with a banquet in their honor.

Emphasizing the unique properties of the brand Quality chicken is the primary unique property of Chick-fil-A’s brand. The “Forgotten Lunch” and “Drive-Through Mom” commercials will highlight the quality of food at Chick-fil-A. In the “Forgotten Lunch” ad, food at Chick-fil-A is compared to home-made food, while in the “Drive-Through Mom” commercial, Chick-fil-A’s signature chicken sandwich is compared to that of an imaginary competitor. Most importantly, the campaign’s slogan, “Eat Better Chikin”, emphasizes the quality of food at Chick-fil-A. 50

Making the audience feel and do The purpose of the “Eat Better Chikin” campaign is to build a relationship between the brand and Chick-fil-A’s based on confidence and trust. Chick-fil-A will improve the quality of food by sourcing ingredients from local farmers and making community improvements at the same time. PR campaigns like the “Local Hero” campaign will award prominent members of the community with a Chick-fil-A sponsored banquet, bringing the community together and improving the image of the restaurant.

The campaign slogan is also intended to increase sales. It encourages customers to consume high-quality chicken at Chick-fil-A. At the same time, the slogan provides a call to action and suggests that food at Chick-fil-A is better than at its competitors.

Altering the Brand Personality The campaign will improve Chick-fil-A’s brand personality by keeping past successes in mind. Although the campaign aims to alter the overall brand image, it maintains the creative elements that customers recognize and can relate to, such as cows and Chick-fil-A’s distinctive logo and colors palette.

Creative Executions Packaging While many fast-food companies invest in sustainable packaging to reduce waste and improve the environment, Chick-fil-A still uses Styrofoam cups for beverages.

Styrofoam, also known as polystyrene, is a petroleum-derived material often used for thermal insulation and as a water barrier in many industries. In fast-food industry, Styrofoam packaging it is often used as disposable coffee-cups, coolers and as insulation in other packaging because it is inexpensive, lightweight and resistant to heat. Yet, polystyrene is associated with many negative environmental effects. The material is especially difficult to isolate from other trash and the recycling process is complicated. Furthermore, because of its light weight, Styrofoam packaging tends to fly around and create litter even when thrown away properly.

Redesigning Chick-fil-A’s packaging is the first step toward becoming a leader in restaurant sustainability. Although it is impossible to eliminate all waste produced by the restaurant,

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the new packaging will aim to reduce the quantity of non-biodegradable waste by utilizing innovative packaging solutions.

Chick-fil-A will shift to recyclable packaging and eliminate Styrofoam completely from its restaurants. In the long term, the restaurant will also offer lunch-box style packaging which comes in meal and double meal forms. Chick-fil-A will eliminate the use of to-go bags and instead use thick paper strips (as depicted below) to hold parts of the meal together. The drink will be held by a box holder that will go directly on top of the box. If the customer orders a dessert item like ice-cream, a small cup may be attached on top of his/her drink.

All parts of the new packaging will fit together like a puzzle.

Billboards: “Eat Better Chikin” The tone of billboards will be consistent with the past Chick-fil-A branding. The “Eat Better Chikin” billboards will depict the shift of the company’s slogan from “Mor” to ‘Better.” The message “Eat Better Chikin” will arouse curiosity and the call-to-action will encourage them to stop by a restaurant.

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“Drive-Thru Mom” Commercial: “Eat Better Chikin” Setting: The camera shows the inside of a car from the driver’s window: A 3-year-old child can be seen in the back seat playing with a plastic cow toy and a mom looking back at him from the front seat. They pull into the driveway of a fast-food restaurant called “Average Joe’s Chicken Sandwiches.” The colors are dull at first to emphasize the poor quality at the “Average Joe’s Chicken Sandwiches.” The colors change to a bright Chick-fil-A color scheme when mom notices the cow.

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The conversation between mom and cashier: Cashier: Hey! Can I help you? (with a slightly aggressive tone)

Mom: Yeah (confused) Can I order an average chicken sandwich, fries, two orange juices and a kid’s meal to go?

Cashier: Right away! (Gets the food quickly and aggressively gives it to Mom puts the bag on the seat next to her the mom). and starts driving. (The simple brown pa Mom: (Becomes frustrated but per bag is crumpled) decides to just take her food).

The camera shows the inside of the car Suddenly mom stops the car. (Cam5 and shows the child playing with the toy. era moves to the front seat and

The child in the back: Mama. cow! shows the mother from the view of Cow! Mama, cow! the right; we see mom’s reaction in Mom thinks that the child is still playing a slightly slower speed; her facial with his toy and continues driving. (The reaction is exaggerated). We see the camera shows mom driving from the backsurprised face of the mom. At the right corner of the car). same time, the to-go bag with food drops on the floor of the car and food fall out.

The camera pans to show Slide with active music: Men’s cheerful voice what is in front of the car. There’s says, “Eat Better Chicken at Chick-fil-A.” The slide a cow standing right in front of the shows the Chick-fil-A logo, and the call to action car with a sign that says, “Eat Better (To find out more, visit chickfila.com) Chikin” Mother arrives at the window of “Average Joe’s Chicken Sandwiches” She orders a chicken sandwich for herself and a children’s meal for her son (pan to the mom ordering) Camera shows the cashier and the ordering window. The colors are slightly dark and dull.

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Local Farmers commercial: “Intermoo” Setting: The interview is held in front of a farm field. A 65-year-old farmer is standing with a microphone pointed at him. The feel is whimsical and quirky.

1 The farmer is asked a question from behind the camera. We don’t hear it. (The question is “Introduce yourself”)

Answer: My name is Tary Farms. I am a contract producer with Chick-fil-A.

2 Another short question. The camera slightly moves. (“Tell us about yourself”) Answer: Voice over, while the farmer is showing the farm: I grew up on this very farm. My dad ran it, my grandpa ran it, and now I run it.

Growing quality food is everything for me. I love watching it grow. Nothing brings me more pleasure than providing quality food for my family and community. (walks through the field as he talks)

3 Question asked from the background: but we can’t hear it again. (“Why did I start working with Chick-fil-A?”)

Answer: (Repeats the question.) Why did I start working with Chick-fil-A? I believe in their mission. They support communities and I believe that is very important.

4 The camera drops. The audience can hear mooing in the background. As the cows are trying to pick up the camera, you notice that it was the cows who were interviewing the farmer.

5 Cows argue between each other and walk away. Cows are wearing baseball caps and ties.

6 Slide with active music: Men’s cheerful voice says, “Eat Better Chicken at Chick-fil-A.” (5 sec) The slide shows the Chick-fil-A logo, and the call to action (To find out more, visit chickfila.com) Approximately 1 minute long

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Chick-fil-A camp commercial: NFL Camp NFL players walk out onto the stadium. Players stand in a row and warm up. They stretch and run in one place. The camera pans across the row. The commercial is accompanied by energetic music like Daft Punk’s “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.” Sounds of people running and performing active tasks may be heard in the background. The commercial will utilize warm colors to reinforce the emotional message of the commercial. The colors will remind the audience of a summer sunset.

1 Players start running in different directions across the field. (5 sec) 2 One player is running between the cones.

3 The camera shows the next player tackling his teammate in slow motion.

4 A player throws the ball.

5 The camera follows the ball in slow motion.

6 Another player catches the ball and throws it on the ground.

7 The camera stays on the ball for 8 The camera pans up and now there’s a 10-year-old boy standing in the uniform of

the player.

9 The camera pans across the field and shows kids performing agility training.

Slide with active music: Men’s cheerful voice says, “Eat Better Chicken at Chick-fil-A.” The slide shows the Chick-fil-A logo, and the call to action (To find out more how you can participate in the NFL summer camp, visit chickfila.com) Approximately 1 minute long

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Snapchat filter Snapchat geo-filters will be available within a one mile radius of the pop-up chicken stand. The filter will consist of a cow face and a Chick-fil-A logo. When an individual opens his/her mouth, the filter will rain chicken nuggets and Chicken sandwiches will appear in lower corners of the filter.

Local Hero Instagram Page Individuals can nominate their friends or family to be Chick-fil-A Heroes by posting their photo on Instagram or Twitter with a Hashtag #ChickfilAHero. The Chick-fil-A team will then sort these nominations and feature three finalists in a commercial.

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Magazine Ad: Nothing Can Beat Homemade Food A magazine ad targeted at mothers will feature a chicken-noodle soup with the title “Nothing can compete with homemade food.” The ad will have a clever twist. In small print, it would suggest that Chick-fil-A can compete with homemade food.

Radio Commercial Script: Forgotten lunch Please please Please please Please please Please please Please please Please please Please please Please please moooommm please I’m hungry Please please Please please Please please Please please Please please Please please Please please Please please uhhhhh pleaseeee The above is repeated multiple times in different children’s voices (some at the same time, some individual) for about 8-10 seconds) Narrator: You know how your kids will react when you forget their lunch at home. Luckily, you don’t have to worry about the quality of food at Chick-fil-A. Because quality, locally-sourced quality ingredients mean our food is almost as good as homemade.

“Eat Better Chikin” at Chick-fil-A. Stop by (insert a restaurant location) to grab a meal made from locally sourced ingredients.

Approximately 30 seconds long

Banner Ads: “Eat Better Chikin” As a part of the “Eat Better Chikin” campaign, we will place banners on websites like ESPN. The Banners will follow the theme of the billboards depicting the “Eat Better Chikin” campaign slogan. When individuals click on the banner, they will be directed to the Chick-fil-A website. The two banners will use the unifying elements of the campaign, cow typeface (font-fil-A), logo and color scheme.

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Media Plan Media Objective Our media objective is to reach our target audience, Carol and Jordan, through their preferred outlets and garner a stronger consumer loyalty. We would also like to change consumers’ perception of our company by showcasing our partnership with local communities and commitment towards sustainability and delivering healthy, quality food.

Our campaign combines traditional and digital advertising techniques to garner a large audience. Our traditional advertisements will maintain our company’s legacy and brand recognition, and our utilization of new, digital strategies will expand, refresh and strengthen our brand and consumer loyalty.

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Demographic Target Our target demographic includes 18-34 year olds in the South and Northeast parts of the United States. These consumers rely on both traditional and digital advertising to influence their buying decisions. They use social media and the internet as well as radio and television frequently.

Reach and Frequency Our traditional advertisements will target the Southern and Northeastern states since this is where our largest Chick-fil-A consumer base lies and also where the most Chick-fil-A restaurants are found in the United States. Since Chick-fil-A is not widely present in the Western states, we feel as though spot/region advertisements are far more useful than those on a national scale. Online advertisements and streaming ads are not restricted by region, however, so we will be able to reach audiences outside the South and Northeast as well.

Over the course of our 12 month campaign, there will be a constant presence of outdoor impact media since our brand is widely known for our Eat More Chikin and cow billboards.

In staying true to our roots but updating these billboards to showcase our new focus on sustainability and quality food, our consumers will be more inclined to stop at a restaurant when they see these advertisements.

There will also be a constant presence of spot television advertisements (during primetime, daytime and early evening). These commercials will vary during each season and phase of our public relations strategies but go hand-in-hand with our refreshed billboards and online presence.

By delivering a constant and stable message of Chick-fil-A’s commitment to communities and sustainability, we can strengthen and refresh the public’s perception of our brand and establish ourselves as a company with quality values.

Duration and Timing This campaign will begin in April of 2018 and run until March of 2019, peaking in September. In late spring and early summer we will begin showcasing our commitment to 64

communities and local farmers and pledge to eliminate styrofoam usage in our restaurants.

In the summer, the media campaign will focus on our Pop-Up Chikin Stands and our partnership with the Atlanta Falcons to provide a free football camp for underprivileged youth in the community. In the fall, we will continue to emphasize our commitment to local farmers, feature the children we worked with over the summer at the camp and set the groundwork for our Chick-fil-A Hero program in the winter. Our pulse digital advertising strategy will ensure that Chick-fil-A’s brand and values are emphasized during the peaks of our campaign, and continuous impact media (billboards) and traditional media (television commercials) during the entirety of the campaign will enhance these peak times while ensuring that Chick-fil-A’s message is always present in our consumers’ minds during nonpeak times.

Since we are targeting mothers and college students/young adults, much of our advertising will take place during the late afternoon and evening hours. Daytime advertisements will target mothers who will be picking up their children from school and planning dinner for the night. Advertisement during the evening will target those consumers that have just returned from work or classes and have food on their mind. Primetime advertisements will strive to capture those who eat late dinners and might choose to eat Chick-fil-A the following day.

Region Most of our campaign is regional, occurring in the South and Northeast. We chose these regions since they are where Chick-fil-A is most predominant. Several of our online advertisements and our commercials during the People’s Choice Awards, MTV Music and Movie Awards and Monday Night Football games will be nationwide and potentially capture new audiences.

Budget Allocation Given our budget of $60 million, we have chosen to spend 60% of our budget on traditional media, 19% on impact media and 17% on digital media. Our billboards will have a longlasting impact on our consumers and both strengthen and refresh our current brand identity. Our emphasis on traditional media derives from our desire to reach our target audience that consumes television frequently. Our digital advertisements will reach the younger members of our target audience while also expanding our reach and capturing new audiences. We have chosen to allocate 4% of our budget as contingency.

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Budget Allocation

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Impact Media Impact Media Schedule

Outdoor Advertising Billboards

Chick-fil-A is arguably most known for their billboards that depict their famous cows saying “Eat More Chikin”. Since there is a strong sense of adherence and recognition associated with the cows and this slogan, we want to continue this trend but refresh it to fit our company’s dedication to sustainability and quality food. The new billboards will still feature the beloved cows but tell customers to “Eat Better Chikin” instead. Furthermore, billboards are one of the most important forms of advertising for our restaurants since drivers are far more likely to get off the road and grab a meal when they recognize a billboard. We will have billboards in 16 markets (Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Ohio and Arkansas). These states are heavily populated with Chick-fil-A restaurants and also match where most of our target demographic resides. Our billboards will encourage travelers to visit Chick-fil-A restaurants and display Chick-fil-A’s mission to provide the best food we can to our consumers.

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Monday Night Football In the summer, Chick-fil-A will partner with the Atlanta Falcons and sponsor a free football camp for underprivileged youth in the community. This endeavor is Chick-fil-A’s way of showing support for local communities. In September (the first month of Monday Night Football), Chick-fil-A will release commercials that will air during Monday Night Football that showcase the summer camp and youth participants, informing viewers of Chick-fil-A’s commitment to communities and partnership with the NFL. According to Simmons, Chickfil-A customers are already 31% more likely to watch Monday Night Football. There is also an untapped audience that watches Monday Night Football and in airing these commercials, the company can reach this market.

MTV Music Awards Chick-fil-A customers are 58% more likely to watch the MTV Music Awards and since they fall in August, the event provides a perfect way in which Chick-fil-A can advertise for events occurring in the fall. Chick-fil-A’s commercials featuring farmers, the summer’s Pop-Up Chikin Stands or sponsored youth football camp could all be shown during this awards show to get consumers excited about promotions that will be coming in the future and showcase promotions that have already occurred and have shaped the company’s new identity.

People’s Choice Awards The People’s Choice Awards are voted on by the general public and air in January. This program will air directly after our company’s Chick-fil-A Hero campaign and will be the perfect time to air our commercial featuring the winners of the contest. These winners will be voted on by the general public, just like the People’s Choice Awards, and our commercial would fit well with the flow of the show. Chick-fil-A customers are also 51% more likely to watch the People’s Choice Awards so in airing a commercial during this event, we can reach our target audience while also capturing new ones.

MTV Movie Awards The MTV Movie Awards are in early May, the second month of our year-long campaign. This popular awards show will offer the perfect opportunity for Chick-fil-A to announce its Pop-Up Chikin Stands promotion that will occur in the summer. Since a younger audience watches the MTV Movie Awards and our Pop-Up Chikin Stands are also directed more towards techsavvy young adults who will participate in them, the commercial announcing the summer promotion will have a high impact. Chick-fil-A customers are 58% more likely to watch the MTV Movie Awards and so we can reach our target audience and also have national visibility.

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Digital Media Digital Media Schedule

Twitter Promoted Trends #EatBetterChikin and #ChickfilAHero Twitter is extremely popular amongst our consumers. In fact, Chick-fil-A customers are 98% more likely to use Twitter. We will use this trend to our advantage and promote two hashtags during our 12 month campaign. The first hashtag, #EatBetterChikin, will be promoted the entire year since it relates to each of our PR campaigns. Chick-fil-A’s philanthropic ventures and commitment towards sustainability, local communities and healthier food all make Chick-fil-A’s chicken better than its competitors. The second hashtag, #ChickfilAHero, will only be promoted during November and December because this is when our local hero contest will run and when we will accept submissions.

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Search Engine Optimization Search Engine Optimization is an important media strategy that our company will utilize to obtain as much traffic to our website as possible. We will feature stories about local farmers that we support on our Chicken Wire section of the website and also have a page where the public can submit their local hero to our contest if they don’t want to use social media.

The website will describe in detail Chick-fil-A’s dedication to providing quality food to its customers and the ways in which it is moving towards being a more sustainable company, like eliminating styrofoam usage.

Buzzfeed Sponsored Article We will green light three months of a Buzzfeed Sponsored Article that will outline our Pop-Up-Chikin Stand promotion. Buzzfeed is popular among our younger audience and by showcasing our interactive competition that can result in free food over the course of three months on Buzzfeed, we will obtain larger participation and attract consumers and participants that we didn’t have before.

ESPN Banner Ad We will have ESPN banner ads for four months (May, June, July and August) that will direct viewers to stories and videos about our underprivileged youth football summer camp and partnership with the Atlanta Falcons. Chick-fil-A customers are 68% more likely to visit ESPN.com and since it is a national site, we’ll garner loyalty from new and old consumers who are excited about our passion to give back to the community.

Washington Post and USA Today Banner Ads According to Simmons, Chick-fil-A customers are 76% more likely to read The Washington Post and are 90% more likely to read USA Today. For this reason, we will have banner ads present on both of these websites for the entirety of our year campaign. These banner ads will direct readers to our website where they can read up on our latest promotions and steps in becoming a more sustainable and supportive company.

Snapchat Filter Snapchat filters will play a large role in our Pop-Up Chikin Stand promotion because we will encourage everyone to use the filter the day the Chikin Stand is live. Assuming there are two

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stands every month the promotion is live (June, July and August), these filters will bolster our social media presence, encourage interaction from our consumers and help us become more visible across the nation.

ESPN Homepage Takeover Chick-fil-A will takeover ESPN.com’s homepage on the first day of Monday Night Football in September (tentatively September 10, 2018) and will encourage audiences to click on the link or tune into the game to watch a short clip about how much of an impact our summer youth camp had on the children of Atlanta and the community as a whole. As stated above, Chick-fil-A customers are 68% more likely to visit ESPN.com and so this will reach already loyal consumers as well as new ones.

YouTube In-Stream Video YouTube is an extremely popular site among people of our target demographic so we will place in-stream videos the entirety of our year-long campaign. These videos will touch on Chick-fil-A’s sustainability efforts, tell viewers to “Eat Better Chikin” and also highlight the Pop-Up Chikin Stands in the summer and our Chick-fil-A Hero contest in the winter.

YouTube’s popularity make it so these videos have the potential to garner millions of new consumers.

Instagram Ad Instagram is another popular website among our consumers. Chick-fil-A customers are 83% more likely to use the site and for this reason, we will place Instagram ads the entirety of our year-long campaign. The ads will encourage participation in our Pop-Up-Chikin Stand challenge in the summer, encourage local hero submissions during our Chick-fil-A Hero competition in the winter and encourage viewers to “Eat Better Chikin” for the rest of the months these ads are active.

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Traditional Media Traditional Media Schedule

Television Our television advertisements will encourage consumers to eat our food as well as increase awareness and buzz about Chick-fil-A’s commitment to sustainability and local communities.

Since Chick-fil-A is most predominant in the South and Northeast, we have decided to utilize spot network television and cable television to target these areas. This decision allows us to maximize our budget and reach locations where Chick-fil-A is most relevant.

Since Chick-fil-A is most often eaten for lunch an dinner, many of our commercials will be aired in the early evening when audiences are deciding wha they are going to have for dinner. Primetime commercials will reach the most amount of people and capture consumers who eat late dinners and who also might decide to have Chick-fil-A the following day. Daytime commercials will predominantly attract the Chick-fil-A lunch crowd and will also help mothers who are about to pick up their kids from school make dinner decisions.

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These commercials will pulse in January, April and May, and September and October because these are the months of our year-long campaign are arguably the most important months of our campaign (the beginning, middle and end of our campaign).

Our commercials will air on channels that are consumers are most likely to watch including BET (index 152), MTV (index 148), VH1 (index 154), TV ONE (index 169) and Disney Channel (index 162).

These commercials will play an important role during our campaign because they will not only reach our target audience during the year, they will also be saved and shared on YouTube and social media websites where they can be viewed repeatedly even after our campaign has ended.

Radio Similar to TV, we have decided to utilize Spot Radio because we want to emphasize our reach to the South and Northeast because this is where Chick-fil-A is most popular and most widely accessible.

Our radio advertisements will air during the evening commute and after school driving times. These times are when people are thinking about what food they are going to have for dinner. Mothers picking up their children are deciding dinner plans. Students who are coming home from class are hungry and can easily be convinced to grab a quick, healthy bite at Chick-fil-A. Those coming home from work are also listening to the radio and wondering what they’re going to eat for dinner. Our radio advertisements will target their hunger and the need for a quick but quality meal. They will direct consumers to the nearest Chick-fil-A and will run the entirety of the year-long campaign.

Southern Living Magazine Southern Living is a very popular magazine among our consumers. Our consumers are 81% more likely to read this magazine. Our advertisements will hopefully encourage readers to buy our food and get on board with our sustainability practices.

Southern Living is a national magazine so our advertisements will reach audiences on a national level but the magazine is also most popular among people who live in the south so our primary target audience will be reached.

This ad will convince readers that eating Chick-fil-A is a smart and sustainable choice as well as something commonly done by those living in the southern part of the United States. It 73

will be accessible September-March since this is the period that our campaign will focus on sustainability and our commitment to quality food and communities (opposed to our youth camp and Chikin Stands in the summer).

Combined Media We believe our combination of impact media, digital media and conventional media will reach our target audience and increase brand loyalty among our current consumers while also reaching new audiences on a national scale. A continuous flow of traditional and impact media will ensure that Chick-fil-A’s mission to deliver quality food and commitment to sustainability and local communities is ever-present in our consumers’ minds. Peaks in the early fall and late spring will maximize consumer participation, generate more sales and ensure Chick-fil-A’s presence as a sustainable, quality brand is remembered.

Combined Media Schedule

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https://www.Chick-fil-A.com/About/Great-Food/No-Antibiotics-Ever https://www.Chick-fil-A.com/About/Great-Food/Our-Chicken-Story http://www.businessinsider.com/Chick-fil-A-is-the-most-polite-chain-2017-4 https://www.Chick-fil-A.com/About/Giving-Back http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_politics/august_2012/61_hold_favorable_opinion_of_chick_fil_a http://www.ibtimes.com/how-chick-fil-social-media-marketing-translated-twitter-facebook-instagram-success-2265588 http://www.yum.com/annualreport/ http://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/chicken-beef-untold-story-chick-fil-cow-campaign-171834/ http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/Chick-fil-A-s-work-mccann-ny-shows-cowsvr/307932/ https://richards.com/work/featured-story/Chick-fil-A/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/261957/ad-spend-of-selected-restaurants-in-the-us/ https://toprightpartners.com/insights/Chick-fil-A-shifts-brand-strategy-kows-customer-experiences/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/06/16/mapping-Chick-fil-A-nation/?utm_term=.0777a25baebe Wilson, R. (2014, June 16). Mapping Chick-fil-A Nation. Retrieved October, from https:// www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/06/16/mapping-Chick-fil-A-nation/?utm_term=.0777a25baebe http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/Chick-fil-A-s-work-mccann-ny-shows-cowsvr/307932/ http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/Chick-fil-A-drops-richards-group-after-22years/305057/ Chick-fil-A Brand Visual Identity Manual, January 2014, Chick-fil-A, Inc. Marketing Department, Atlanta, GA Simmons Research LLC Spring 2015 NHCS Adult Study 12 Months Industry Market Research (NAICS) Fast Food Restaurants Retrieved from IBISWorld Database Quick Service Industry Trends May 2017 Retrieved from Mintel Database

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SPBL Agency, 2017 Chick-fil-A Campaign Plan Created for Journalism 345 77