I have a beef with Wendy’s. Nothing to do with their beef, really, I just don’t feel that they have done a good job establishing their image or brand – well, since Dave died, really. For those of you old enough – do you remember the tabletops decorated with vintage newspapers? They did this not because it was fun to read while chomping into a big juicy burger (although I enjoyed that, too), but because their tagline (still on signs today) was “Old Fashioned Hamburgers.” The brand they created with a little girl with red braids is long gone. They have since tried to “be cool” like the other burger chains at the cost of no distinctive or memorable advertising.
In branding, we sometimes pull from a company’s history – defining what made them who they are. What in the past, makes them good now? Why is that different than other companies? Are there people or icons in the past that create an image that is distinctive? Wendy’s has all this and more, they’ve just forgotten.
My plead to Wendy’s is this: get back to basics. Bring back what made you memorable: old fashioned, nostalgic, and classic. And in a world of “extreme” and “new” this would give them the legs they need to create a new brand and a new campaign (and maybe that new agency they’re looking for?). Ahhh, memories of the good ‘ole days and a darn good burger. Hopscotch anyone?
I must say though that their new asian sensation chicken wings are quite tasty!