Country Kitchen returns to airwaves with new TV spots

Nation's Restaurant News, August 21, 2000 by Gregg Cebrzynski

MADISON, WIS. -- Country Kitchen International is airing its first TV spots in three years and hopes to expand TV advertising in 2001 with new financial support from franchisees.

The family-dining chain's current 30-second spot promotes the All-American BLT sandwich, part of a campaign to support quarterly menu promotions. Lindsay, Stone & Briggs of Madison created the campaign, which is expected to support a bread-bowl meal promotion in October.

"We're really putting much greater focus on marketing and improving market share," vice president of marketing Scott Hughes said. "We're looking at the market base to focus on differentiation and finding a unique niche."

Hughes said Country Kitchen decided to return to TV advertising because competitors in the family-dining segment were generating high brand awareness with their own media buys.

Hughes declined to say how much Country Kitchen spends on advertising, but he called the amount "a lot less" than spending by competitors Denny's, Bob Evans Restaurants and Perkins Family Restaurants.

Starting next year, Country Kitchen hopes to increase its TV presence if it can persuade franchisees to contribute 3 percent of sales to a system-wide advertising fund. Of the chain's 254 units, about 220 are franchised. Hughes said he's been trying to convince franchisees that "the better way to spend dollars is to get everybody into TV, unify the message and build our brand."

Traditionally, franchisees have been asked to contribute at least 3 percent of sales to support local advertising. In the past, however, "we had somewhat of a fragmented message out there," Hughes said. "We really want to focus on the quality of the food ... and have a cohesive strategy."

The current TV campaign uses the tag "Ready For a Real Meal" in promoting the menu. A 30-second spot titled "Of Thee I Sing" touts the chain's All-American BLT Meal. The spot opens on a girl standing on a school stage. She begins to sing a well-known tune but with new lyrics: "My Country Kitchen 'tis of thee, All-American BLT, of thee I sing."

She stops singing and looks into the audience. "Mom, dad, I'm sick of those greasy fast-food meals. I want a real meal."

"We're expanding our reach and making a tweak at the QSRs with a little wink and a smile," Hughes said. "The group we're going after, they're looking for that real, solid meal. They're looking for good food, but because of time restraints they're hitting the QSRs."

The campaign targets Generation X families with children younger than 10. The fall campaign will extend the "children persuading parents" theme and support the introduction of a "five-minute bread-bowl concept," which will be available all day but promoted heavily as a lunch item. The line will consist of four different products served in a bread bowl: spaghetti and meatballs, hearty beef stew, chicken pot pie and chili. Each is priced at $4.99.

Lunch customers who don't receive their bowl in five minutes or less will get the next one free.

"It's really redefining how service is perceived at Country Kitchen," Hughes said.