Lexington, KY - What do a talking cat, the latest cell phone technology and a catchy jingle have in common? They're all part of a quick-lunch guarantee program offered by Lexington Applebee's franchisee Thomas and King. It all started when Thomas and King and its advertising agency, Cornett Integrated Marketing Solutions, reviewed research showing people wanted a quick lunch at a great value, but they also wanted to sit down and be served. So, the 14-Minute Lunch Guarantee was born.
"We discovered that time was as important as value at lunch," Christy Metcalfe, Thomas and King's senior vice president of marketing and WOW communications, said. "Every movement we made [in this campaign] was based on research."
Take for instance that Thomas & King knew their customers were fans of the television programs Glee and The Office. Armed with that knowledge, Cornett's creative team went to work on a jingle that they felt blended the two programs. The spot included a group of office people singing and dancing about the 14-Minute Lunch Guarantee at Applebee's. The spot got a lot of attention, and according to Metcalf, people either loved it or hated it, but either way, it stuck with them.
After the audio and visual parts of the campaign were well in hand, the next step was to think about what people could do during the 14-minute wait time that would enhance their experience at Applebee's. All the folks at Cornett had to do was go to lunch and watch each other. They realized people spend a lot of time looking at their smart phones to check email and visit Facebook or other websites. So, a digital component was added using Quick Response (QR) codes that led customers to a video of a talking cat and other options. The idea wasn't to sell anything, but just making people laugh while they waited for their lunch.
Once again, research showed that videos of cats are the most viewed on YouTube, so the search was on for a good candidate. At first, Metcalfe was not convinced a cat was the way to go because she just wasn't a big fan of cats. But she couldn't overlook the research, and Cookie the cat was hired from Craig's list.
"There's a mystique about cats that draws people in," Christy Hiler, Cornett's chief strategic officer, said.
The talking cat video has been such a success that it's gotten more than 75,000 scans since June 2011 from customers at Applebee's in Kentucky, Ohio and Arizona - the only states where Thomas & King has its 89 restaurants. Compare that to a national campaign by Kellogg's, which put QR codes on cereal boxes. That effort produced 40,000 scans.
Kellogg's results may be more typical because, for the most part, QR codes have not been widely embraced by the public. Many people still don't know what they are or what they do, and some people's phones don't have the ability to scan the codes. For some who have scanned a QR code, the experience has been a disappointment.
The point of a QR code is to take consumers to a website that usually offers a coupon, information about a specific event, instructions or directions or even ticket sales. Many QR code applications, however, have not been well thought out.
"QR codes are an easy way to get good content, but many times, the scan doesn't take you to good content," Hiler said.
A study last summer by comScore illustrated the small number of people using QR codes. The research found that about 6.2 percent of U.S. mobile phone users scanned a QR code in June. Of those people, 60.5 percent were male and more than half were between the ages of 18 and 34. To further illustrate what Thomas and King was up against, the research showed only 7.6 percent of that small group scanned a QR code at a restaurant.
The key to Thomas and King's QR code success is in the entertainment value of their talking cat, according to David Coomer, Cornett's chief creative officer. He said Cookie the cat is getting more online buzz than Applebee's corporate campaign on ESPN.
"This is more than technology," he said. "People love the experience. This is a conversation piece that has people laughing and being entertained. And, it makes the guest experience unique."
Scans continue to increase, and fans of Cookie can look forward to more fun. The team is working on new ideas for the talking cat. The 14-Minute Lunch idea may grow as well. Other franchisees are interested in the success Thomas and King has had in growing its lunch business with the campaign. The corporate office is watching as well. Thomas and King also is looking at data to see what people are ordering at lunchtime, which may lead to some menu changes to further enhance the 14-Minute Lunch experience.
"Digital is truly the future," Metcalfe said. "We know if we're not using it well we'll be left behind. We have to be where people are, and right now, that's where they are."
Mary Hemlepp, APR, is a marketing communications consultant. Contact her at
mary@maryhemlepp.com.