In June, Cracker Barrel announced the return—after a one-year break—of Campfire Meals, a menu item of roasted meat, potatoes, carrots, corn and tomatoes, cooked together campfire-style in wrapped foil.
The company has run this promotion for 19 years and it has gained a huge following. This time, Cracker Barrel has a different plan: #GetCampfiredUp.
A fresh take on an old favorite
Founded in 1969, Cracker Barrel, like most companies in business for decades, tries to stay relevant by connecting with younger customers.
The restaurant chain’s brand managers have been searching this year to find ways to reach millennials: It partnered with country music stars and influential social media users in a campaign aimed at a younger audience.
Cracker Barrel’s marketing and PR team made this year’s launch of Campfire Meals bigger by using many media and advertising channels. The campaign incorporates traditional advertising—billboards, TV ads and radio ads, supported by social media.
The chain also bought its first Snapchat ad, an increasingly common big-brand ad platform.
Here’s a sample of Cracker Barrel’s tweets for the campaign:
The stories are true. #CampfireBeef is back. #GetCampfiredUp http://pic.twitter.com/d6kOdJ68DK
— Cracker Barrel (@CrackerBarrel) May 11, 2016
Unwrap a returning favorite. Campfire Beef is back! #GetCampfiredUp http://pic.twitter.com/Ty5hgWx9PM
— Cracker Barrel (@CrackerBarrel) June 2, 2016
When it comes time for Campfire Meals to return, we #GetCampfiredUp. http://pic.twitter.com/lI5xqFFOV6
— Cracker Barrel (@CrackerBarrel) May 17, 2016
Consider the flavor escape plan foiled. #CampfireChicken http://pic.twitter.com/5Yvh062yBp
— Cracker Barrel (@CrackerBarrel) May 25, 2016
Campfire Meals aren’t new. They’ve been around a long time. How can brand managers keep a product relevant and intriguing, while touting its classic charm?
RELATED: Learn best practices to create powerful integrated marketing campaigns.
Here’s how Cracker Barrel made the right moves and is a great example of how to keep the momentum going with a great idea:
1. It researched and reacted.
The chain’s team researched why Campfire Meals have been so popular and what their fans look for in a dinner.
The Cracker Barrel Campfire Survey revealed how much its guests value family dinner. What they discovered helped them stage their campaign.
2. It analyzed its brand’s situation.
Cracker Barrel took a step back to see why Campfire Meals had such loyal fans and to find out how to make it better. People loved the fun of it and that fun feeling unified the dinner table.
Cracker Barrel had much success with Campfire Meals, but they knew it was time to make it bigger and better.
3. It went where its audience was.
Cracker Barrel knew its demographic wouldn’t be influenced just by billboards and TV commercials.
To keep the brand interesting, Cracker Barrel forswore pure traditional marketing and used new tactics—Snapchat and Vine videos. Media trends constantly change, and brand managers must change with them to stay relevant.
Not all ideas must be new. Just because something is venerable, doesn’t mean it should be retired.
If your company has a product or concept that’s aged well, look at what has made it successful and use that to inform fresh marketing. Get insight from loyal fans, try new marketing channels and look for creative ways to introduce your time-tested standard to new audiences.
Mary Stankiewicz Is an account coordinator at Belle Communications. A version of this article originally appeared on the agency’s blog.
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