Was the Flip a Flop?

By Jenna Barone

IHOP re-focused its marketing efforts from flipping pancakes to flipping burgers in hopes of earning a seat at the lunch and dinner table. In early June, IHOP announced its temporary name change to IHOb without revealing the altered acronym’s new meaning. A creative marketing stunt, the flipped P now reads as a lowercase b. A week later, social media erupted in chaos following the release of the mystery meaning. You guessed it—the B stands for burgers.

Corporate food chains responded to the name change with snarky, condescending remarks on social media. Whataburger, Chilis, Wendy’s, etc. ganged up on IHOP with an attitude of burger superiority, treating IHOP like a wannabe.

The IHOB phenomenon provided an excellent opportunity for corporate chain restaurants to partake in a bit of newsjacking. As a result, IHOP benefited from the conversation and awareness increased. But will the restaurant chain benefit from the letter flip, or was the marketing campaign a flop?

The engagement between chains added to the hype and excitement surrounding IHOB, a clear plus in terms of achieving awareness. But the attitudes present in chain restaurant reactions dented IHOP’s credibility despite its attempt to make witty comebacks.

Not to mention, IHOP’s response is a bit unoriginal. Anyone remember the fun, harmless banter between Pharrell Williams and Arby’s after the 2014 Grammys?

IHOP made a bold move in an effort earn respect as a restaurant serving more than just breakfast—and I respect its willingness to take on the risk. However, the social media attacks granted no favors in terms of changing the public’s perspective.

After the big reveal, RLF tweeted an article about the name change: “We can support #IHOB as long as @IHOB promises to keep serving pancakes.” As it turns out, many responded similarly with tweets about the name-change sparking pancake cravings among loyal customers. Though always meant as a joke, many also took the name change seriously and panicked about the potential loss of pancakes. So much so, that IHOP’s President Darren Rebelez made a statement to assure customers that the delicious buttermilk pancakes aren’t going anywhere.

In an attempt to spin the pancake reactions, IHOP’s tweets compared the seriousness of its burgers to the seriousness of its pancakes, even joking about its quest to “corner the market on circle foods.” But will pancake fanatics accept the new burgers at lunch and dinner with open arms? Will new customers be attracted to IHOP because of the new burger options?

As far as feedback on the actual taste of the burgers, I’ve encountered mixed reviews. A group of Orlando Sentinel reporters visited a nearby IHOP a couple weeks ago to decide for themselves. Though satisfied with the seven new steak burger options (classic cheeseburger, bacon burger, double-pattied monster burger, breakfast burger, barbecue burger, spicy burger, mushroom and swiss burger), they weren’t exactly pleased with the look or taste:

“Strip off the toppings, and you’re left with a lackluster, bland patty more suitable for a fast food spot not a sit-down restaurant. The thin patty never had a chance to remain the medium-temperature I requested, making the server’s earlier question pointless.”

On the other hand, IHOP has tweeted positive reviews and re-tweeted positive customer responses to the new burger lineup in the last couple of weeks.

IHOP says it’s happy with the early results of the campaign. Its Word of Mouth Score (a measurement of the number of people who talk about the restaurant chain with others) jumped from 11 percent to 30 percent within a week of the name-change announcement.

Though burger sales have increased, will a one-time curiosity translate to consistent burger-buyers? YouGov, a data polling firm, reported that recent rebranding efforts have not significantly increased the likelihood of consumers dining at IHOP according to its BrandIndex.

The buzz over IHOB came and went rather quickly, and it doesn’t look like IHOP will successfully sustain the momentum. I wouldn’t call the campaign a total flop, but it seems like the pancake (or burger) may have burned a little after the flip.

Pop PR– Hot marketing tactics behind Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s surprise album and video release

By Piper Anderson

Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s music video Apes**t is magnificent to behold. It was somehow shot in a completely empty Louvre without any knowledge of it leaking to the press. There are gilded ceilings as golden as the music’s rhythm. Tantalizingly brief shots of gorgeous outfits against richly pigmented walls. Fluid dances, power couple shots, ancient art. The stills in themselves make for endlessly aesthetic marketing materials and media articles. But when this beautiful cinematography is coupled with the element of complete and utter surprise? Then the reaction is massive.

On Saturday, June 16, Beyoncé and Jay-Z (the Carters) dropped their joint album Everything Is Love without prior announcement or promotion, along with their stunning Apes**t music video. Fans took to social media ecstatically reeling from the unexpected gift, and even non-BeyHive members couldn’t miss the coverage coming from virtually every media platform that touches on pop culture. 2.1 million tweets circulated about the album in the two days after its release.

Why such a media maelstrom? The quality of the music is part of it, but the Carters’ genius for marketing certainly helps. They have always been masters at keeping secrets. Beyoncé in particular has a gift for hiding things like albums and then strategically unveiling them for maximum response. Her album Beyoncé sold over 600,000 copies within 3 days of its surprise release; her audio-visual album Lemonade sold over 600,000 copies within the first week of its surprise release; her song Formation caused a frenzy after its unexpected drop on the eve of her Super Bowl performance. She has become a pioneer of surprise releases in the music industry.

The element of surprise is a powerful and clever public relations tool– especially in the face of increasingly predictable marketing tactics. Between algorithms that predict market trends and data that tailors messages to exactly the right audience, increasing technology-use in marketing runs the risk of trading in excitement for efficiency.

Singer Adele told TIME that surprise marketing keeps the audience interested: “When you have a 6-month build up, don’t expect me to be there the day your album comes out, because I’m bored.”

The power of surprise is no secret to the music industry. Future’s Evol, Drake’s If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, and Kendrick Lamar’s Untitled Unmastered were all surprise albums that debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart within the first week of their unexpected release.

The element of surprise is easily transferable to other industries and brands, as well. Take for example, IHOP’s bizarre change to IHOB. Such an unprecedented change could not be ignored, and the franchise’s “word-of-mouth” score skyrocketed.

Surprise is something PR professionals might keep in mind when brainstorming campaigns– even little surprise-and-delight moments make for wonderful media coverage, like Coca-Cola’s happiness vending machines that gifted “doses” of happiness in the form of fresh flowers and pizza and more. These unexpected moments bring back the wonder and glee of childhood.

Beyoncé and Jay-Z carried their flair for mystery into the Apes**t video. It’s striking not just because the setting is magnificent, choreography mesmerizing, and visuals gorgeous. It’s striking because it’s enigmatic. There are hundreds upon hundreds of articles about the “Secrets Behind the Art in Apesh**t” and the “Hidden Meaning in Each Painting.” The obsession over the symbolism and complexities in the video– which the Carters have not commented on– has become a trending media topic.

Of course, no matter how great a surprise is, a brand won’t get recognition if it’s actual product is uninteresting and insignificant. The message of the Carters’ music is what gives this stunt staying power, rather than being a flash in the pan. Apes**t cleverly addresses what it means to be black in a predominantly white culture, and the power behind re-contextualizing Western art. The Everything Is Love album takes a more personal twist– it explores the marriage between Beyoncé and Jay-Z, a topic that the public has been endlessly fascinated by. The drama of their marriage has been expressed in Beyonce’s Lemonade and Jay-Z’s 4:44; now, this album marks the two of them coming together and healing; it explores the African-American legacy they are creating. With messages like that, marketing comes naturally.

As far as a public relations takeaway from the Carters is concerned, combining the element of surprise with quality messaging can make for great results. Surprise and mystery entice your audience and keep them curious and excited. But it’s the contextual elements of a product or organization that truly appeal to an audience and drive brand loyalty– or, in the case of the Carters, life-long fans.

2016 Super Bowl Ads – Part 2: Cute and Fuzzy Wins Us Over

Super Bowl ads are known for playing up our emotions, especially the ones that feature adorable animals. A few brands made the strategic move to include animals in their commercials, and in turn, made us say “awww.” Below are comments from RLF employees who couldn’t resist the cuteness in this year’s ads.
Continue reading “2016 Super Bowl Ads – Part 2: Cute and Fuzzy Wins Us Over”

2016 Super Bowl Ads – Part 1: Celebrities and Pop Culture References Prevail

This year’s Super Bowl game might not have been all that memorable, but the ads are definitely worth talking about. Many commercials made us laugh, some commercials stirred our emotions, and other commercials left us scratching our heads (puppymonkeybaby??). Among this diverse list of TV spots, a common ad strategy emerged: the use of celebrities and pop culture references. Several brands incorporated famous personalities or funny memes into their ad’s message, effectively capturing the viewer’s attention and leaving a lasting impression of the product. Continue reading to find out which RLF staff members identified their favorite ads in this category.
Continue reading “2016 Super Bowl Ads – Part 1: Celebrities and Pop Culture References Prevail”

March Madness: 3 Lessons for PR and Marketing Professionals Straight from the Court

By Victoria Dolan

Most basketball fans can sum up this year’s NCAA basketball tournament in one word: surprising. Losses by Duke University and Ohio State University in the first round resulted in real “March Madness” and broken brackets for many avid basketball fans. Whether you researched team histories, banked on expert opinions or viewed every game personally, there were not many advantages to be had building your brackets this season.
Depending on current standings, predictions and status quos can hurt PR and marketing strategies too. Here are some lessons that translate from the basketball court to the communications world:

Leverage your victories.

Relish in the glory but don’t let your winner’s high distract from building relationships or converting customers. Awards, media mentions and successful rankings are the perfect time to reach out to nonbelievers and show them why your product or service beats the competition. After UCONN’s victory over Michigan State, the team President Obama had picked to win the national title, @UCONNHuskies tweeted: “Sorry about busting your bracket @BarackObama… We have room on our bandwagon if you’re interested.” A little humor never hurt anyone, right? Engaging with them then might not convert them right away, but it can help build a better relationship in the long run.

Just because you are seeded #1 does not guarantee winning the title.

Michigan State was seeded #4 and was defeated by UCONN who was seeded #7. Kentucky was seeded #8 in the Midwest Region and has made it to the Final Four. Your product or service may be accredited “the best” in the industry today, but tomorrow is another day and there’s a good chance that the competition is trying to show that they are just as good, if not better, than you. Continuously innovate and challenge yourself to exceed your customers’ expectations because being too comfortable with your current bragging rights can lead to failure in the end.

Be aware of ALL your competition.

Know, observe and track all of the teams you’re playing against. Today’s underdog could be tomorrow’s fiercest rival. Follow their marketing campaigns, new product releases and developments, news coverage and social media interactions. Keeping tabs on their strategies will not only show you what works and doesn’t work, but will also keep you a step ahead of the game.

Photo courtesy of Luis Blanco’s Flickr photostream.

The Psychology of Marketing and Branding

By David French
My latest read, Drunk Tank Pink: And Other Unexpected Forces that Shape How We Think, Feel, and Behave, has spurred considerable thought about the branding and marketing work we do for clients. What are “good” design, appropriate colors and the right copy messages? Do subconscious forces influence our work?
The book by Adam Alter, assistant professor of psychology and marketing at NYU, delves into the subtle, unnoticed cues that influence our decisions, behaviors and even our success in life. If you’re unfamiliar with the shade of pink referenced in the title, it’s a vivid, bubblegum shade. Researchers in the 1970s and 1980s found that it significantly calmed children in Canadian schools. They wondered whether the same effect might occur when aggressive people were exposed to the color, so the walls of drunk tanks and jail cells were painted pink. You can guess the result.
I’m pleased to say that RLF has done quite a lot of excellent, award-winning branding and marketing work, directed by our stalwart and experienced creative director, Ron Irons. I sat with him for a few minutes to talk about how we use color, design and copy to support and build brands. I learned that creative direction is less about unseen forces and more about strategy and creativity with a dash of intuition.
“We’re not using colors, shapes and copy concepts to manipulate. At the most basic level we’re trying to help audiences understand a brand, its personality and what it promises to deliver,” he said. “But a fair amount of intuition—you could say the subconscious—does influence design and creative execution for a brand. Plus, I’ve been at it for many years, so experience counts, too.”
Take color, for example. For a client whose business is to educate and enlighten, we recommended the dominant color be shades of yellow—the color of sunlight and illumination. For another who’s in financial services, we used grays, blacks and muted colors to communicate solid, secure, and stable.
Shapes and spacial arrangement of design elements are important, too, to emphasize and clearly communicate what’s important—and to get noticed. As a brand is marketed and promoted, very often those shapes alone carry the entire brand message. Logos and symbols, for example, if property executed can become memorable. Think the Nike “swoosh”—in executions where it’s the only element, it’s immediately recognizable to millions around the world.
Elements like headlines and tags, and copy are the third consideration. Under Ron’s direction, we strive for high creativity, yet keeping it simple and pragmatic. “If the message isn’t easily grasped and understood by the intended audience, then it becomes noise,” he said. “You can be creative without being complex. And that holds true for all elements of design. They are the tools that provide a visual and verbal context, working together to communicate the core brand message.”
As a “non-creative,” I expected to draw more parallels between the thoughts presented in Drunk Tank Pink and marketing/branding creative. I have to say after talking to Ron, I’m not disappointed that there are few, if any. I’m gratified—and clients can be, as well—that building effective brands is based on strategy, creativity…and a lot of experience.