Denny’s vs.
Boring Product Launches
Denny’s Canada is known for big portions, fresh ingredients and punny names for its menu items. And for the launch of their new assortment of bowls, we put all three on full display.
Sector
Hospitality
Services
Advertising Campaign
Brand Strategy
Tale Of The Tape
Denny’s market research indicated a strong and sustained shift among Canadian consumers towards healthier, fresher, and more convenient menu items. Further qualitative research and competitive analysis revealed that bowls were the perfect addition to bridge the gap between their existing menu and modern consumer trends.
After exhaustive testing and iteration, six unique, flavour-forward varieties were launched specifically crafted for the Canadian palate. The task was to brand the new menu line-up and launch the bowls to Canadians so they would fall in love with them. And Denny’s all over again.
Recommending the name Love-a-Bowls was a deliberate choice, showcasing Denny’s fun, family-friendly personality while also aligning perfectly with classics like the Grand Slam and Moons Over My Hammy. What’s more, this punny name gave us license to create a campaign that skewed the typical product launch and instead was subversive, unique and attention-grabbing.
Creative Knockout
When you pitch an idea with a single image of a man in an outrageously huge bowl-cut wig, bringing that idea to life becomes a unique and delightful challenge.
Using ridiculous bowl-cut wigs to show how Denny’s customer’s love for their bowls grows with every forkful was a good start, but how do we keep people’s interest for the entire spot? By cramming it with more and more bowl references, from the obvious to more ‘blink and you miss it’ easter eggs. Throw in more than enough glam shots of the delicious bowls and some perfectly over-the-top performances from talent and you’ve got a 30s product introduction spot unlikely any other.
For static placements, we mimicked cheesy engagement photos, only here it’s our bowl-cut clad talent staring lovingly at their bowls. Contextual headlines were added, asking consumers to “Swipe right on our Southwestern Steak Love-a-Bowl” or “Fall for our Mediterranean Falafel Love-a-Bowl”. Paired with the refreshed Denny’s Canada brand we also recently completed, the resulting social ads, in-store posters and OOH assets were eye-catching, thumbstopping and all-around spectacular.
Backed by strong consumer research, the Love-a-Bowls creative captures the fun, craveable essence of the Denny’s brand. It brings the refreshed brand to life in an unexpected, energetic way.
Peter Salvador, Senior Director, Marketing & Brand
