The Brand Landscape
The founder and principal of Brandscapes LLC, Karen Brennan helps restaurateurs and entrepreneurs figure out their toughest brand challenges. Here, she shares insights on marketing and branding, trends and other industry topics.
What Can We Learn from Chick-fil-A?
The list is long. From product quality to adherence to core values, Chick-fil-A is replete with best practices. But the thing that most recently impressed me is this: When the going gets tough, the smart get strategic. I don’t think there is much disagreement about the fact that the going is pretty tough right now. Having said that, we may have gotten used to it, but we haven’t gotte ...... Read More
Comments (0)Useful Immediacy
I just read an article about Twitter that used the phrase “useful immediacy.” (Ironically, a new microwave–the granddaddy of useful immediacy–is being installed in my kitchen as I type.) Everything around us, from microwaves up through Twitter, is training consumers to expect useful immediacy. What a powerful phrase, and what a great insight into what consumers demand t ...... Read More
Comments (2)Cabin Fever
Am I the only one who’s getting sick of winter? Every time I see the TV commercial featuring Travelocity’s “Roaming Gnome” sitting in front of a television screen filled with palm trees and sandy beaches while a storm fills the window behind him, I almost chant along with him… “Dah-duddle-duddle-duh-duh-duh Dee-diddle-diddle-dit-dit-deeI-need-to-get-out-of ...... Read More
Comments (2)Peak Performance
I just saw an interview with Olympic gold medal snowboarder Shaun White, whose snowboarding stunts are almost mind-boggling. When interviewed, he explained, “I can see what I want to do before I do it.” That clarity of focus reminds me of a comment made years ago by Wayne Gretzky on the secret to his hockey prowess. Gretzky’s response was, “I skate to where the puck is ...... Read More
Comments (2)What Is it About Burger Love?
OK, I admit, burgers have been on my mind lately. But the other night, Bob Costas even broached the topic while he was doing Jay Leno’s final “10 at 10 List.” He admitted, “If I have $10 in my pocket, no offense to In-N-Out, I’m going for a Carl’s Super Star with Cheese.”Clearly, people love their burgers. How do great burger brands engender such fi ...... Read More
Comments (2)What Is it About Burgers? (Part II)
In a presentation at a culinary conference years ago, my menu maven friend announced that we are all motivated by “our culinary heritage.” I believe that’s true and it suggests that the legacy of great burgers in this country is spawning a whole new generation of even greater burgers. I’d even go so far as to say that a good old American cheeseburger may well be the per ...... Read More
Comments (2)What Is it About Burgers? (Part I)
The buzz on burgers seems to be at a fever pitch these days. After splitting a perfect burger with a friend at Bandera a couple of weeks ago, followed by a Happy Hour visit for Fleming’s cheeseburger, I was talking with an industry menu maven who noted that, right now, the “downscaling of fine dining” is a perfect opportunity for struggling upscale players to provide value by ...... Read More
Comments (5)What's the Deal?
On a recent business trip to Newport Beach, I made time to see my old hairdresser Eddie. I hadn’t seen him since I moved away four years ago, but it was as though it had been four weeks, not four years. That day, all he could talk about was restaurants and the economy: “Don’t people know there is a recession going on? Last week I was at Fleming’s for Happy Hour and the ...... Read More
Comments (1)The Comfort of Consistency
There is something irresistible about consistency. Think about it. The experience you expect is the experience you get every time.It’s not unlike when my nephew was little. He watched the movie American Tail over and over and over again. Never got tired of it. It was almost like the chewed-up stuffed panda bear (AKA “Pandie”) he used to drag around behind him. I was reminded o ...... Read More
Comments (4)Tradeoffs
I’m in Southern California this week and drove by one of my old haunts: Coco’s. I noticed it because they had a new sign with big puffy yellow letters, as opposed to the big puffy white letters the last time I drove by. Ironically, this exact location was one where we experimented with different exterior color combinations when I was the Marketing Vice President of Coco’s year ...... Read More
Comments (2)Critical Mass
It’s finally happened. After decades of talking about the need for healthy solutions, demand has reached critical mass and restaurants are beginning to really meet the challenge. Healthy dining has been a topic of discussion since I started as marketing director at Max & Erma’s in the mid ’80s. Then, entrepreneurial founder Barry Zacks responded to the health trend by want ...... Read More
Comments (8)ASAP
I stopped the other night on my way home for curbside carryout from one of my favorite casual restaurants…nothing better on a snowy night than curbside comfort food! I had stopped several weeks earlier for the exact same order (double broccoli…no potatoes) and there had been a mistake in my order. To avoid having the same mistake happen again, I mentioned this when I placed my order, ...... Read More
Comments (5)
