Attention All Foodies!

Do you find that restaurant commercials are making you hungrier than usual? This isn’t just your winter appetite kicking in early, it is actually the commercials! Now more than ever restaurants are marketing quality of food over the value of a meal. Who knew quality would surpass quantity in America?!

Five years ago no one cared about what the “chefs” of McDonald’s looked like, never mind what they had to say. Today, we see commercials featuring these nameless culinary “experts” discuss the quality of their ingredients. Fast food restaurants are appealing more and more to our “foodie” generation. By advertising quality ingredients and the cooking process. Restaurants are reaching to attract more health conscious, food-appreciating people with good taste. And it is working!

We even see this in places like Dominos, once known for its disturbing YouTube.com videos, is now marketing Artisan Pizzas with flatbread crusts and specialty toppings. Sounds good right?

While reading this you have begun to remember past food commercials that market the speed of cooking or the convenience of take out. While those concepts are still in practice today, marketers are increasing ingredient awareness. They know that no one can resist images of melty, delicious foods on screen. Consumers have become more interested in “farm fresh” ingredients, and marketers are running with it.
So relax foodies it is not you, it’s them. Lets take a look at a few examples of these new marketing techniques.

In 2008, Dominos appealed to customers with their 30 minutes or less advertising, because connivence was more important than tasty pizza.

This year Dominos introduced their Spinach & Feta, Italian Sausage & Pepper Trio and Tuscan Salami & Roasted Veggie Artisan Pizzas (yum!)  with help from former Top Chef Fabio Viviani.

In 2009 KFC used the struggling economy to make at point about the price of their sandwiches. They thought that relating gas prices to chicken would be effective?

Today, KFC does not mention price, or gas, and talks strictly about ingredients and marinades used in their kitchens.