Video Contest Taps Chick-fil-A's Biggest Fans
Chick-fil-A's first Internet-based contest helps build customer relationships and an electronic-marketing base for the restaurant chain.
By Mary Boltz Chapman, Editor-in-Chief -- Chain Leader, 10/14/2008 9:29:00 AM
Chick-fil-A is well-known for its billboards featuring cows asking customers to eat chicken. Long a buyer of traditional advertising, the Atlanta-based, 1,400-unit quick-service chain took a step into the World Wide Web with its Biggest Fan video contest.
Mark Baldwin, Chick-fil-A's senior public relations supervisor and project manager of the video contest, calls the effort "dipping our toes in the water."
He says the chain is always looking to reach its customers in a way it can own. The company's advertising budget means it can't own television or radio. In 1995, Chick-fil-A came up with the billboard concept and says it owns that. Baldwin says the company is looking at what the Internet has to offer.
Plead Your Case
Tapping its loyal customers, Chick-fil-A created a video contest, asking them to plead their case in 60 seconds or less on why they are the biggest fans. When the chain opens a new restaurant, it gives away Chick-fil-A food for a year to its first 100 customers. Fans line up days in advance to win. The company felt that kind of loyalty and passion would feed the contest.
Marketing was mostly grass roots. While the contest was promoted on Chick-fil-A's Web site, it was not supported by point-of-purchase material or media buys. Fan sites such as chickenpack.com spread the word.
The contest ran for two months, from November 2007 through January 2008, and garnered about 100 videos. When videos were posted, they were held for approval before appearing live on the site. "Most were quality videos," Baldwin says. "We got a few just talking to the camera, but some really took time and effort." He points to one that uses stop-motion animation and another that had a helicopter take a customer to the restaurant.
The winning video, showing a set of twins who have been customers since they were 4 years old, and the rest of the Top 10 are posted on the site.
Driving Relationships
Was it a success? Baldwin says yes. The site received about 400,000 hits, and users left positive comments. And he says that it only helped build relationships with customers. But is it driving traffic? He says it was such a small part of the marketing puzzle that he couldn't quantify.
Nevertheless, Chick-fil-A will continue to try Internet-based marketing efforts, perhaps tied to its Cow Appreciation Day in July, when customers who dress up as cows are treated to a combo meal. "We try to give an incredible experience in restaurant," Baldwin says. "With the cows and the food and the loyal fans, Chick-fil-A is ripe for this kind of marketing. We're just scratching the surface."
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