Marketing Spoonful

What the world needs now…No, it’s not love, sweet love, Burt Bacharach…it’s a good, old-fashioned war between food brands.
And I’m not talking about these so-called “burger battles” between the likes of Burger King, Wendy’s and McDonald’s. Sure, we’ve seen Angus vs. not-Angus, Angus vs. Angus, the ongoing flamebroiled vs. fried, and even a six-dollar burger. [...]

Tags: brand war, Burger King, burger war, food brand war, food marketing blog, food war, Kraft, Mars, McDonald's, Nestle, pet food, toilet paper, Velveeta, Wendy's, Where's the Beef

Did you know that The Burger King has been around since 1960? But in 2003, the Home of the Whopper brought it back.
The Brawny paper towel guy and the Jolly Green Giant have both been refurbished in the past few years.

And why is that? Well, conventional wisdom would say it’s because their cute–or perhaps, creepy–characters [...]

Tags: Brawny, Burger King, cartoon characters, Charmin, food marketing blog, Jolly Green Giant, McDonald's, Mr. Whipple, Wendy's

I don’t get to sit in front of the television very often and work, but today was a rare treat. There is an amazing array of food commercials that tantalize and tempt the hungry viewer in a variety of ways. There are some things we can learn.
McDonald’s has a new ad for its Angus Third-Pounder [...]

Tags: food marketing blog, LifeSavers, lunchtime advertising, McDonald's

Just because we advocate appealing to people’s heightened dollar-value consciousness doesn’t mean we necessarily advocate abdicating style, fun and intellectual and emotional appeal.
What do these things have in common?
a. Burger King Whopper Jr.
b. Taco Bell bean burrito
c. McDonald’s Big N’ Tasty
d. Wendy’s Small Frosty
We’ll give you a hint: They’re all available for about a buck [...]

Tags: advertising that works, bean burrito, Big N' Tasty, Burger King, cheap, cognitive dissonance, dollar menu, emotional appeal, fast food, Food, Frosty, Marketing, McDonald's, quick, Restaurant, Taco Bell, value, Wendy's, Whopper

Wondering how gas prices are affecting dining habits in the US? Let’s take a look at stock performance in the quick service restaurant (QSR) sector, compared with family casual/grill and bar.
McDonald’s stock has nearly doubled in price since this same week in 2005, going from $30.99 a share to $60.16 as of Wednesday’s close.
Interestingly, unleaded [...]

Tags: Applebee's, casual, Chili's, dining out, downturn, Family, fast food, IHOP, inflation, McDonald's, profit, QSR, recession

It will be interesting to see how the latest round of drink menu augmentation goes for Starbucks and their competitors.
The coffee purveyor and “third place” proprietor is serving up a new batch of “healthy-sounding” smoothies, designed to compete with similar offerings from Dunkin’ Donuts and others.
Now, the Spoon loves a Venti Caramel Macchiato as much [...]

Tags: 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing, Dunkin' Donuts, Food, food blog, health, Krispy Kreme, McDonald's, meal replacement, nutrition, Ries, smoothie, Starbucks, Trout